WALES

Departmental Housing

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many  (a) empty and  (b) occupied residential properties his Department owns; and what recent estimate he has made of the (i) potential annual rental and (ii) total book value of those (A) empty and (B) occupied residential properties.

Peter Hain: The Wales Office owns no residential property.

ELECTORAL COMMISSION COMMITTEE

Electoral Register: Standards

Chris Ruane: To ask the hon. Member for South-West Devon, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission which local authorities have yet to implement all three performance standard indicators in respect of electoral registration.

Gary Streeter: The Electoral Commission informs me that those local authorities whose electoral registration officers (EROs) reported that they did not meet all three performance standards in the 'Completeness and Accuracy' subject area, following the 2008 annual canvass and published by the Commission in April 2009, are listed as follows.
	The Commission further informs me that it will be publishing its second report on ERO performance against the standards in March 2010. Consequently the performance of the EROs listed as follows may be subject to change. The individual assessments of the EROs appointed by the local authorities will be made available on the Commission's website at that time:
	www.electoralcommission.org.uk
	Barnsley
	Berwick-upon-Tweed(1)
	Blaby
	Blackburn with Darwen
	Brentwood
	Bridgnorth(1)
	Broadland
	Caerphilly
	Carmarthenshire
	Cambridge
	Chester-le-Street(1)
	Conwy
	Copeland
	Coventry
	Craven
	Crewe and Nantwich(1)
	Derwentside(1)
	Dumfries and Galloway
	Durham(1)
	East Dorset
	East Hampshire
	East Lindsey
	Eastbourne
	Epping Forest
	Forest Heath
	Gwynedd
	Halton
	Harborough
	Harrow
	Hillingdon
	Hyndburn
	Ipswich
	Leeds
	Mendip
	Merthyr Tydfil
	Newport
	North Dorset
	North East Derbyshire
	North Lanarkshire
	Nottingham
	Nuneaton and Bedworth
	Orkney Islands
	Rhondda, Cynon, Taff
	Ryedale
	Sefton
	Shetland Islands
	Shrewsbury and Atcham(1)
	Slough
	Solihull
	South Lanarkshire
	South Norfolk
	South Northamptonshire
	Stratford upon Avon
	Sutton
	Tameside
	Teesdale(1)
	The Vale of Glamorgan
	Three Rivers
	Uttlesford
	Walsall
	Warrington
	Wellingborough
	West Devon
	Weymouth and Portland
	Windsor and Maidenhead
	(1 )No longer in existence and now part of unitary authorities.

SCOTLAND

Departmental Publications

Angus MacNeil: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many reports or papers have been produced or commissioned by the Scotland Office since 2007; and what the  (a) cost,  (b) subject matter and  (c) distribution run of each report was.

Ann McKechin: Since 2007, the Scotland Office has produced or commissioned the following reports and papers:
	
		
			  Date produced  Paper/report  Cost (£)  Distribution run 
			 January 2010 Time Series Analysis of Government Expenditures and Revenues in Scotland 0 0-web based only 
			 December 2009 The Scottish Budget Since Devolution 0 0-web based only 
			 November 2009 Scotland's Future in the United Kingdom 5,969 1,055 copies printed, divided between Scotland Office, Parliament and TSO 
			 November 2009 Tax-Background Paper 0 0-web based 
			 June 2009 Scotland and Oil-Background Paper 0 0-web based 
			 June 2009 Annual Report of the Scotland Office and Office of the Advocate General for Scotland 2009 3,545 200 copies printed 
			 February 2009 Election Accounts 2007-2008 (Scottish Parliament, Scottish Devolution Referendum and UK/European Parliament) 3,128 150 copies printed (50 of each account) 
			 July 2008 Election Accounts 2006-2007 (Scottish Parliament, Scottish Devolution Referendum and UK/European Parliament) 3,116 150 copies printed (50 of each account) 
			 May 2008 Annual Report of the Scotland Office and Office of the Advocate General for Scotland 2008 3,511 200 copies printed 
			 May 2007 Annual Report of the Scotland Office and Office of the Advocate General for Scotland 2007 3,101 200 copies printed 
			 May 2007 Election Accounts 2005-2006 (Scottish Parliament, Scottish Devolution Referendum and UK/European Parliament) 2,820 150 copies printed (50 of each account)

NORTHERN IRELAND

Terrorism

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many  (a) serving and  (b) former members of the (i) Police Service of Northern Ireland, (ii) Royal Irish Regiment and (iii) Northern Ireland Prison Service have moved from their homes after being targeted by (A) Republican and (B) Loyalist paramilitaries in each of the last three years.

Paul Goggins: It is not possible to provide figures in the format requested. Figures are, however, available for the number of certificates issued under the Special Purchase of Evacuated Dwellings scheme. As the issue of such certificates is an operational matter for the Chief Constable, I have asked him to reply directly to the hon. Gentleman, and will arrange for a copy of the letter to be placed in the Library of the House.

CULTURE MEDIA AND SPORT

Basketball: Finance

Peter Soulsby: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what funding his Department has provided for  (a) existing and  (b) new facilities for basketball in (i) primary schools, (ii) secondary schools, (iii) universities and (iv) sports clubs in the last three years.

Gerry Sutcliffe: Sport England has advised that they have consistently invested in sports halls and leisure centres which offer facilities for basketball.
	Over the period 2005-09, Sport England invested a total of £4,989,415 directly into basketball. The proportion of this used to fund capital projects was £2,004,415, and was delivered through the Community Club Development Programme.
	Due to the nature of the Community Club Development Programme, which often delivered funding for multi sports purposes, Sport England is not able to break down the funding in terms of  (a) existing and  (b) new facilities specifically for basketball in (i) primary schools, (ii) secondary schools, (iii) universities or (iv) sports clubs.
	Capital spend in schools is a matter for the Department for Children, Schools and Families, while the Department for Business Innovation and Skills is responsible for Higher Education.

Cultural Heritage

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much his Department spent on its UK world heritage policy in each of the last five years; and how many of his Department's staff worked on the policy in each of those years.

Margaret Hodge: holding answer 29 January 2010
	My Department has spent £103,478.13 on World Heritage Policy Review over the last five years. A breakdown of the direct spend and staff numbers working on World Heritage Policy for each year is presented in the table.
	
		
			  Financial year  Spend on  world heritage policy  (inc. VAT) (£)  DCMS staff numbers on  world heritage policy( 1) 
			 2005-06 n/a 4 
			 2006-07 n/a 3 
			 2007-08 94,734.38 4 
			 2008-09 5,581.25 5 
			 2009-10 3,162.50 2 
			 (1) Staff involved have a number of other duties and have been involved with the review at different times

Departmental Billing

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what estimate he has made of the average length of time taken by  (a) his Department and  (b) its agency to pay invoices from (i) small and medium-sized enterprises and (ii) all creditors in the last 12 months.

Si�n Simon: In December 2009 the Department paid 96.65 per cent. of all valid invoices within 10 working days of receipt, and 99.44 per cent. within 30 days. It is not possible to distinguish small and medium sized enterprises within this information.
	The Royal Parks, the Department's agency, is not able to provide this information used its current accounting system. A new system is being implemented shortly, which will enable the agency to provide the relevant information in the financial year 2010-11.

Departmental Manpower

Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what estimate he has made of the proportion of staff of  (a) his Department and  (b) its agency managed out in the last five years who remain working in the public sector.

Si�n Simon: The Department is not able to respond as no details are collected or retained relating to the future employment status or location of former employees.

Digital Broadcasting: Radio

Paul Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what plans his Department has to prepare people for the FM radio switch off in 2015.

Si�n Simon: There are no plans to switch off FM radio in 2015.

English Heritage: Educational Visits

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much has been spent on  (a) administration and  (b) staffing costs of the English Heritage free educational visits scheme in each year since its inception.

Margaret Hodge: holding answer 21 January 2010
	English Heritage introduced free entry for educational groups to its sites as one of its first actions on its creation in 1984. This is a core activity, embedded within English Heritage's total education spend, and as such does not have a separate budget allocation. The figures in the table are therefore for the total spent on education in each year. English Heritage advises that figures are only available for the years since 1996-97.
	
		
			  £ 
			   Total expenditure on education  Of which :  payroll 
			 1996-97 1,083,870 342,575 
			 1997-98 961,479 265,498 
			 1998-99 814,314 274,472 
			 1999-00 972,013 361,021 
			 2000-01 1,059,290 408,818 
			 2001-02 1,101,696 436,462 
			 2002-03 1,182,071 556,628 
			 2003-04 1,416,248 659,582 
			 2004-05 1,335,050 695,672 
			 2005-06 1,445,448 630,006 
			 2006-07 1,503,366 649,604 
			 2007-08 1,429,012 698,122 
			 2008-09 1,466,873 727,583 
		
	
	The most significant increases in the overall budget reflect efforts in 2003-04 to address the fall in free educational visits which resulted from the widespread closure of sites due to the foot and mouth epidemic; and in 2006-07 when its education volunteers and discovery visits programmes were introduced.
	The increase in payroll as a proportion of education spend reflects English Heritage's strategy to have more staff-approximately 20 across nine regions-liaising directly with teachers and providing expert advice and resources for other initiatives, for example, working with the Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment on Engaging Places and contributing to major development projects such as that planned for Stonehenge.

English Heritage: Educational Visits

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many free educational visits to English Heritage sites there have been in each year since the scheme's inception.

Margaret Hodge: holding answer 21 January 2010
	English Heritage advises that the number of free educational visits to its properties in each year since 1997 is as set out in the table. This includes visits to properties managed through Local Management Agreements.
	
		
			  Free educational visits to English Heritage properties 
			   Number 
			 1997-98 534,910 
			 1998-99 523,213 
			 1999-00 514,113 
			 2000-01 513,292 
			 2001-02 441,585 
			 2002-03 478,499 
			 2003-04 497,028 
			 2004-05 475,866 
			 2005-06 486,773 
			 2006-07(1) 481,000 
			 2007-08(1) 430,630 
			 2008-09(1) 445,320 
			 (1) Any discrepancy between these figures and those previously published is the result of English Heritage's decision to change to using actual figures for educational visits to LMA sites rather than continuing to use an estimated figure of 50,000 a year. 
		
	
	The decline in educational visits is disappointing, and English Heritage has been asked to address this issue. In response English Heritage has been developing a programme of more interactive experiences, Discovery Visits, which require greater staff involvement and are now in place at 62 sites. English Heritage has also invested in new forms of educational engagement, including through online technology. In total more than 840,000 learners were engaged last year.
	English Heritage is preparing a new education strategy for 2010-15.

Museums and Galleries

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many free visits to museums and art galleries funded from the public purse there were in  (a) 2001-02 and  (b) 2003-04.

Margaret Hodge: holding answer 29 January 2010
	There were 30.2 million visits to DCMS sponsored museums and galleries in 2001-02, and 35 million visits in 2003-04.
	The free museums included are: British Museum, Geffrye Museum, Horniman Museum, Imperial War Museum, Museum of London, Museum of Science and Industry in Manchester, National Gallery, National Maritime Museum, National Museums Liverpool, National Museum of Science and Industry, National Portrait Gallery, Natural History Museum, Royal Armouries, Sir John Soane's Museum, Tate, Tyne and Wear Museums Service, Victoria and Albert Museum and Wallace Collection.
	Similar data on the number of visits to all art galleries and museums funded by the public purse could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Public Libraries

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many public libraries  (a) opened and  (b) closed in the most recent year for which figures are available.

Margaret Hodge: holding answer 25 January 2010
	 Information regarding the number of public library openings and closings is not held centrally.

Recreation Spaces

Justine Greening: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what the detailed assumptions and calculations are behind the total key monetised  (a) costs and  (b) benefits cited in his Department's impact assessment of the Royal Parks and Other Open Spaces (Amendment) Regulations 2010.

Margaret Hodge: holding answer 27 January 2010
	the information requested is as follows:
	 (a) The Royal Parks (TRP) intends to spend £2.7 million on essential repairs to the parking facilities and £200,000 on traffic calming measures. The costs of enforcement plus the installation of ticket machines and signs, falls to the contractor. As such, any calculations and assumptions will have been made by them.
	 (b) The estimated annual revenue of £430,000 was calculated by TRP's parking contractor based on the effects of the proposed rate over seven day periods. Income raised from parking charges will be reinvested in the parks.

Sports: Finance

Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much and what proportion of Sport England's  (a) grant-in-aid and  (b) lottery funding has been spent on operating costs in each of the last three years.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The information requested is not held by my Department and relates to matters that are the responsibility of Sport England.
	Accordingly, I have asked the chief executive of Sport England to write direct to the hon. Member.
	Copies of the reply will be placed in the Libraries of both Houses.

Sports: Finance

Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much and what proportion of UK Sport's  (a) grant-in-aid and  (b) lottery funding has been allocated to sports governing bodies in each of the last three years.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The information requested is not held by my Department and relates to matters that are the responsibility of UK Sport.
	Accordingly, I have asked the chief executive of UK Sport to write direct to the hon. Member.
	Copies of the reply will be placed in the Libraries of both Houses.

Sports: Finance

Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much and what proportion of Sport England's  (a) grant-in-aid and  (b) lottery funding has been allocated to sports governing bodies in each of the last three years.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The information requested is not held by my Department and relates to matters that are the responsibility of Sport England.
	Accordingly, I have asked the chief executive of Sport England to write direct to the hon. Member for Bath.
	Copies of the reply will be placed in the Libraries of both Houses.

ENVIRONMENT FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS

British Waterways Board and Environment Agency: Finance

Charlotte Atkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what plans  (a) British Waterways and  (b) the Environment Agency has to reduce its budget deficit.

Huw Irranca-Davies: British Waterways implemented an organisational restructure in 2009 which, together with other efficiencies, will divert up to £10 million a year to front line waterways maintenance. British Waterways is proposing that over the long term it also moves to third sector/mutual status. British Waterways believes such a move will help close the current funding gap and lead to a more sustainable future by growing income from other sources, volunteering growth, better local community engagement and delivering greater efficiencies.
	In 2008, the Environment Agency published 2020 Vision for Funding our Waterways. This strategy document set out the resources required to maintain and operate its waterways and offer a specified level of service to those using the waterways. It concluded that there was a deficit between what was needed and its level of expenditure at that time. The document also identified how the Agency could reduce this deficit by developing and growing new income streams, reducing costs and rebalancing its navigation expenditure to invest more on maintaining waterways and less on service operations. In the light of changed economic circumstances the Agency is now updating the strategy so that it can continue to reduce and manage its budget deficit while providing safe waterways for the public to enjoy.

Domestic Waste: Waste Disposal

Gary Streeter: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what guidance his Department provides to local authorities on options to dispose of waste that cannot be recycled.

Dan Norris: It is Government policy to manage waste as far up the waste hierarchy as possible. For residual waste treatment some form of energy recovery offers carbon and resource efficiency benefits over landfill. The choice of technology must reflect local circumstances, which will vary and local authorities need to be free to adopt such technologies as part of an integrated solution if they deem it appropriate. It is important that any plans for waste to energy facilities emerge out of local waste strategies, so that all options for re-use, recycling and composting can be explored first. The Government do not interfere with local authority planning decisions.
	The Government believe local authorities should be as well informed as possible when making decisions. This is why they have produced guidance on the legislation, and established the Recycling and Organics Technical Advisory Team (ROTATE) through the Waste and Resources Action programme (WRAP). ROTATE's role is to spread best practice and advise local authorities on the multitude of waste collection and treatment options available to them.
	The Government funded WRAP to undertake research (the 2007-09 food waste trials with local authorities) and advise local authorities on the best ways to collect and treat food waste. Both DEFRA and WRAP continue to fund and manage research feeding into the body of knowledge that underpins the advice WRAP give via ROTATE. In terms of effective food waste treatment the Government have been actively promoting and providing support for greater uptake of anaerobic digestion, a proven renewable energy technology, as the best option for unavoidable food waste that would otherwise go to landfill. The NNFCC (National Non Food Crops Centre), supported by. DEFRA and DECC, launched a new web-based portal on 16 September 2009; this provides a first point of contact for information about anaerobic digestion for local authorities, businesses, farmers and the public. The portal can be found at:
	http://www.biogas-info.co.uk/
	The Government also established the Waste Infrastructure Delivery programme (WIDP) in 2006 to accelerate building the infrastructure needed to treat residual waste without compromising efforts to minimise waste and support increasing recycling levels. WIDP provides technical and commercial support and guidance to local authorities irrespective as to whether they are applying for PFI funding.
	In addition to this, WIDP has published a range of waste sector specific guidance, to help all waste infrastructure projects. This guidance is building into a comprehensive procurement pack, one module of which is on options appraisal.

Elephants: Animal Welfare

Richard Benyon: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what discussions he has had with the government of Tanzania on its proposals on the listing of the African Elephant at the 15th Conference of the Parties Convention on Trade in Endangered Species of Flora and Fauna.

Huw Irranca-Davies: The UK has, to date, had no discussions with Tanzania on its proposals.

Environment Agency: Photography

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what discussions he has had with the Environment Agency on its decision no longer to offer payment to photographers whose photographs it uses.

Jim Fitzpatrick: There have been no such discussions between DEFRA and the Environment Agency.
	The Environment Agency has not issued any non-renumerated photography contracts and currently has four contracts in place with professional photographers. Each of these suppliers has gone through the tender process which is evaluated on both cost and quality.
	Any photographer employed by the Environment Agency will be paid in full for their work. The Environment Agency has strict criteria on working with suppliers and takes its responsibilities seriously when it comes to paying people the right rate, on time, and getting good value for the taxpayer.

Floods: Banbury

Tony Baldry: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when he expects to announce the start date of the public inquiry into the Banbury flood defence scheme.

Huw Irranca-Davies: The Planning Inspectorate is currently identifying possible dates for the inquiry into the Banbury Flood Alleviation Scheme. Once it has done so, DEFRA will write to all interested parties and objectors as well as publishing a notice of the inquiry date confirming the exact date, time and venue.

Horses: Animal Welfare

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what information his Department holds on levels of compliance in other EU member states with the requirements of EU legislation governing the long distance transportation of horses to slaughter.

Jim Fitzpatrick: Reports on levels of compliance with Council Regulation (EC) No. 1/2005 by other EU member states can be found on the European Commission's website at:
	http://ec.europa.eu/food/animal/welfare/transport/inspections_reports_reg_1_2005_en.htm
	Member states' reports identify the total number of welfare infringements found on farmed animals (including horses) that went for slaughter and on animals for export, but do not identify which inspections and which infringements relate to long distance journeys.

Inland Waterways

Charlotte Atkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent assessment has been made of the state of each of the structures maintained by British Waterways.

Huw Irranca-Davies: Details of British Waterways' most recent assessment of each of their principle assets was made on 18 January 2010. Details of the condition of these assets is set out as follows.
	
		
			  Distributed condition grades 
			Number of assets( 1) 
			 A Very good 389 
			 B Good 2,382 
			 C Fair 5,769 
			 D Poor 1,794 
			 E Bad 217 
			 Grand total  10,551 
			 (1) Source: British Waterways 
		
	
	This shows that around 19 per cent. of assets are in D and E condition compared with 22 per cent. when the assets were previously assessed in April 2007.

Inland Waterways

Charlotte Atkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs to how many canal restorations British Waterways has contributed in the last 12 months.

Huw Irranca-Davies: British Waterways has contributed to six canal restorations in the last 12 months, namely:
	Barge and Junction canals in Droitwich;
	Manchester, Bolton and Bury Canal;
	Three Mills Lock, which restores the Bow Back Rivers to navigation;
	The Liverpool Link (a new stretch of canal);
	The Cotswold Canals (land at Inglesham);
	The Helix Project.
	In addition British Waterways has been involved to a lesser extent-and has provided ad hoc professional advice-to schemes such as the Montgomery Canal, Northern Reaches of the Lancaster Canal, Pocklington Canal, Bradford Canal, lower end of the Monmouthshire and Brecon Canal and the proposed Lomond Canal.

Natural England: Crewe

Ben Wallace: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the running costs were of the Natural England office in Crewe in the last 12 months; how many staff at each grade Natural England employs at that office; and how long the lease for that office has left to run.

Huw Irranca-Davies: Natural England occupies 32 per cent. of the DEFRA office building in Electra Way, Crewe. DEFRA has a ground lease on the building which will expire in July 2048.
	Natural England's running costs (which are recharged to Natural England by DEFRA) for the 12 months to December 2009 were £629,000. They include rent, rates and utilities.
	The 103 Natural England staff working at this office comprise:
	
		
			  Natural England Grade  Headcount 
			 Adviser 84 
			 Team/Delivery Leader 15 
			 Team/Delivery Manager 4 
		
	
	In addition Natural England currently has 14 temporary staff in the building.
	Natural England is an integrated organisation covering the whole of England. The Natural England staff working in the Crewe office (and most other offices) comprise a mixture of the regional team and the national delivery teams. Managers and team leaders working from the Crewe office will therefore also manage a number of staff who are home based or work from different offices.

Nuclear Sites: Coastal Areas

Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment his Department has made of the effects on surrounding  (a) coastlines and  (b) coastal communities of sea defences constructed to protect nuclear sites.

Huw Irranca-Davies: DEFRA has promoted shoreline management plans (SMPs) that assess the risks of coastal erosion and tidal flooding covering all the coastline of England and Wales, for the next 100 years.
	These plans are prepared jointly by the relevant operating authorities using the latest coastal monitoring information, and look at the condition of all existing defences, including those constructed to protect nuclear sites.
	They consider data on climate change, as well as other relevant research and reports. They examine the impact of coastal processes on the whole coast, including coastal communities, and are also a valuable tool for planning authorities where they need to take decisions on the coast.
	A review of all these plans is currently under way and will be completed by the end of the year. SMPs are publicly available and include a full three month public and stakeholder consultation period.
	On completion, all plans will be approved by the Environment Agency and will include an action plan to take forward future studies and works.

Rights of Way

John Grogan: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many cases he has considered under paragraph  (a) 3 and  (b) 4 of Schedule 14 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 in (i) 2007, (ii) 2008 and (iii) 2009; how many such cases he determined in each such year; how many such cases he determined within (A) six, (B) nine and (C) 12 months of receipt; and what the (1) shortest and (2) longest time taken to reach a determination was on such a case in each such year.

Huw Irranca-Davies: Consideration has been given to 354 appeals and 94 directions under paragraphs 3 and 4 of schedule 14 to the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 (WCA) during the years 2007 to 2009.
	
		
			  2007 
			   Number determined  Within 6 months  Within 9 months  Within 12 months  Total within 12 months 
			 Directions under paragraph 3 of schedule 14 to WCA 27 7 5 8 20 
			 Appeals under paragraph 4 of schedule 14 to the WCA 68 8 2 1 11 
		
	
	
		
			  Shortest and longest time taken to reach a determination, including invalid appeals and directions: 
			   Days 
			  Type  Shortest  Longest 
			 Appeals 3 2,054 
			 Directions 90 1,537 
		
	
	
		
			  2008 
			   Number determined  Within 6 months  Within 9 months  Within 12 months  Total within 12 months 
			 Directions under paragraph 3 of schedule 14 to WCA 7 3 3 0 6 
			 Appeals under paragraph 4 of schedule 14 to the WCA 65 4 1 1 6 
		
	
	
		
			  Shortest and longest time taken to reach a determination, including invalid appeals and directions 
			   Days 
			  Type  Shortest  Longest 
			 Appeals 10 2,710 
			 Directions 27 597 
		
	
	
		
			  2009 
			   Number determined  Within 6 months  Within 9 months  Within 12 months  Total within 12 months 
			 Directions under paragraph 3 of schedule 14 to WCA 54 2 1 9 12 
			 Appeals under paragraph 4 of schedule 14 to the WCA 31 7 4 3 14 
		
	
	
		
			  Shortest and longest time taken to reach a determination, including invalid appeals and directions: 
			   Days 
			  Type  Shortest  Longest 
			 Appeals 28 1,387 
			 Directions 92 633

Waste Management: Private Finance Initiative

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent assessment he has made of financial viability of private finance initiative schemes for waste treatment plants; and if he will make a statement.

Dan Norris: DEFRA constantly assesses the financial and construction markets to ensure that waste private finance initiative (PFI) projects are financially viable. In November 2009, officials from DEFRA's Waste Infrastructure Delivery Programme (WIDP) hosted a meeting attended by representatives from 20 financial institutions following on from a similar meeting held with banks in February 2009.
	Our findings show that credit conditions have stabilised relative to 12 months ago and that banks continue to show strong interest in waste PFI projects. The sector also continues to attract interest from a range of new entrant contractors into the waste sector.

TRANSPORT

Aviation

Sarah Teather: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport how many aeroplanes of each  (a) type and  (b) maximum takeoff weight departed from UK airports in 2009.

Paul Clark: The information requested for 2009 is not available. Information for 2008 (the latest year available) has been placed in the Libraries of the House.

Aviation: Security

Colin Challen: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what categories of air passenger will be exempt from full body scans when departing from UK airports.

Paul Clark: holding answer 1 February 2010
	A written ministerial statement has been made on 1 February 2010,  Official Report, columns 2-4WS concerning the use of body scanners at UK aerodromes. As stated in this, if a passenger is selected for scanning, and declines to do so, they will not be permitted to fly.

Chorley

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport if he will set out, with statistical information as closely related to Chorley constituency as possible, the effect on that constituency of the policies of his Department and its predecessors since 1997.

Sadiq Khan: The Transport Act 2000, as amended by the Local Transport Act 2008, has provided a new policy framework benefiting all local transport authorities. The framework gives greater certainty of funding, while encouraging more strategic transport planning with local consultation, and increasing local flexibility and discretion over resources. It was accompanied by a significant increase in capital funding: support from the Department for Transport for transport investment in Lancashire, within which transport authority Chorley falls, has risen more than threefold over the last decade.
	Investment in Lancashire county council's local transport plan has delivered a number of improvements to the quality, safety and accessibility of the local transport network. Between 2004 and 2008, bus patronage per head of population increased by 18 per cent. and the number of people killed or seriously injured on the local highway network decreased by 5 per cent. In 2005, Lancashire county council submitted a successful bid to the Department for 'Kickstart' revenue funding of the 'Chorley Connect' bus network. The £800,000 award facilitated the implementation of a fully accessible integrated network of routes in partnership with Stagecoach North West, including new evening and Sunday services.
	Additionally, several major transport projects have been successfully delivered within the Chorley constituency since 1997. The £3 million Chorley Interchange was completed in March 2003, providing significantly improved connections between bus and rail services in the town. In November 2007, the £8 million Eaves Green Link Road was opened, completing the southern and western bypass of Chorley. The new road has improved access to local services by public transport and will facilitate further economic development in the area. The project has also won a number of awards for its innovative approach to minimising the environmental impact of the development.
	It was announced in August 2009 that Lancashire county council had been allocated £3 million from the Community Infrastructure Fund to support the construction of a new railway station serving the Buckshaw Village development, to the north of Chorley. The new station will play a key role in supporting the sustainable development of the Central Lancashire Growth Point and is expected to be completed by the end of 2010.

Driving: Licensing

Robert Goodwill: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what category of driving licence will be needed to drive a steam engine or steam lorry on the public highway when EU Directive 2006/126/EC comes into force in 2013.

Paul Clark: The new Directive will come into force on 19 January 2013. Those drivers who already hold a full car licence (category B) on that date will retain the right to drive a steam engine or steam lorry.
	Drivers who pass a motor car test after that date will need to pass a further test in either a category c vehicle (over 3.5 tonnes) or category G (road roller) before they can drive a steam engine or steam lorry.
	The Department for Transport is currently in discussion with the Commission about the possibility of an exemption from the requirement being offered to additional groups of drivers.

Motor Vehicles: Excise Duties

David Crausby: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport how many people paid their vehicle excise duty online in each of the last three years.

Paul Clark: The numbers of people who have paid their vehicle excise duty online in each of the last three financial years and between April and December 2009 is shown in the following table.
	
		
			   Number 
			 2006-07 6,212,399 
			 2007-08 11,755,542 
			 2008-09 14,868,486 
			 2009-10(1) 13,034,819 
			 (1) April to 31 December

Parking Attendants

David Crausby: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what guidance his Department provides to local authorities on the employment of traffic wardens.

Sadiq Khan: None. Traffic wardens are employed by police forces rather than local authorities. Chapter 6 of the Department for Transport's Operational Guidance to Local Authorities on Parking Policy and Enforcement, published in March 2008, includes advice about Civil Enforcement Officers.

Parking: Public Holidays

Robert Goodwill: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what guidance his Department provided to local authorities on whether Saturday 26 December 2010 should be deemed to be a Saturday or a public holiday for the purposes of parking restrictions.

Sadiq Khan: It has not been necessary for the Department to issue guidance to local authorities on this matter. Local authorities' Traffic Regulation Orders will clearly indicate when parking restrictions are enforceable. Where they are enforceable, it is for individual authorities to determine how and when to enforce them, and to inform drivers effectively.

Planning Permission: Merseyside

Derek Twigg: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport when he expects to receive the Planning Inspectorate's report on the Mersey Gateway inquiry.

Paul Clark: The Inspector's report has now been received by the Department for Transport. Departmental officials are currently considering it.

Public Transport: Tickets

Norman Baker: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what estimate he has made of the level of savings to his Department of the cancellation of the implementation of smart cards.

Sadiq Khan: The Department for Transport has no plans to cancel the implementation of smartcards and has made no estimates of the savings that this could deliver. Following a consultation in the autumn, we published the Department's first Smart and Integrated Ticketing strategy in December 2009. The strategy has been well received and our research into the business case of implementing smart ticketing schemes is very positive. There are contractual commitments relating to smart ticketing in recent rail franchise agreements which mean that any cancellation would require these agreements to be renegotiated at cost to the taxpayer.

Roads: Salt

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport how many tonnes of salt are held by each local authority in England.

Sadiq Khan: A table has been placed in the Libraries of the House which shows how many tonnes of salt local authorities estimate they have available, according to the local authority salt audit returns the Department for Transport had received at 10:00am on 21 January.
	These figures provide a snapshot of one day and may not fully reflect the regional weather, salt delivery dates, weather preparedness or distribution practices.

Roads: Snow and Ice

Keith Vaz: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what guidance his Department issues on the minimum amount of grit to be spread on roads in icy conditions.

Sadiq Khan: Gritting rates are a matter for each highway authority. The Department for Transport endorses the UK Roads Liaison Group's code of practice on highways maintenance management, 'Well-maintained Highways', which contains advice on winter service, including choice of de-icing materials and target rates of salt. This guidance was updated following the severe weather experienced in February 2009. In addition, the Highways Agency has developed its own guidance for the treatment of the trunk road and motorway network.
	In order to help preserve salt stocks during the severe and prolonged weather over the last month, on 8 January 2010, the Secretary of State for Transport asked the Local Government Association, on behalf of local authorities across England, the Highways Agency and the Mayor of London, to reduce their daily use by 25 per cent; on 12 January he further asked them to conserve significantly more than that, by reviewing their salt spreading strategy and for local authorities to prioritise their local networks as necessary.

Roads: Snow and Ice

Greg Mulholland: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what estimate he has made of the cost of repairs to roads following damage incurred during recent severe weather in  (a) England,  (b) West Yorkshire and  (c) Leeds.

Sadiq Khan: It will be for each local highway authority to assess the damage to its network resulting from the severe weather, and to estimate the costs of repair. The Department for Transport will consider any requests for financial assistance that local authorities may make, in line with its established criteria; and, it will provide engineering consultancy support to local authorities formulating bids. It will be for each bidding authority to demonstrate that the damage is exceptional.
	The Highways Agency is responsible for the maintenance of the strategic road network in England. The Agency has a road maintenance programme to ensure that carriageway maintenance is carried out at the optimum time, to minimise deterioration in the condition of the road and damage caused by severe weather, while delivering value for money. It is inevitable however that the recent severe weather will, in a small number of locations, cause a deterioration in the road surface condition. The Agency does not however separately identify or estimate the additional maintenance costs directly associated with severe weather. The Agency's experience is that such costs are likely to reflect only a relatively minor part of the overall maintenance expenditure. Safety related defects such as potholes are treated promptly as part of the Agency's maintenance policy.

Slough

Fiona Mactaggart: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport if he will set out, with statistical information related as directly as possible to the Slough constituency, the effects on Slough of the policies and actions of his Department and its predecessors since 2000.

Sadiq Khan: The Transport Act 2000, as amended by the Local Transport Act 2008, has provided a new policy framework benefiting all local transport authorities. The framework gives greater certainty of funding, while encouraging more strategic transport planning with local consultation, and increasing local flexibility and discretion over resources. It was accompanied by a significant increase in capital funding: support from the Department for Transport for Slough's transport investment has risen sevenfold over the last decade.
	Investment in Slough borough council's Local Transport Plan has delivered a number of improvements to the quality, safety and accessibility of the local transport network. Between 2001 and 2007, the number of people killed or seriously injured on the local highway network decreased by 34 per cent., and bus patronage per head of population increased by 20 per cent. in the period 2004-08.
	Slough borough council has worked closely with the Highways Agency to introduce ramp metering on the M4 around Slough. The project has contributed to reduced traffic flows on the motorway at peak times and provided road users with greater journey time reliability. Ramp metering is also contributing to the M4 Air Quality Management Area (AQMA) Action Plan.
	A Quality Bus Partnership has been signed with First Berkshire which has brought about significant investment by both the borough council and the bus operator. Enhanced services have been provided to the major employment sites at Heathrow and the Slough Trading Estate as part of the council's accessibility and economic development strategies and upgraded bus stops and shelters have been installed along the A4 London Road.
	In June 2009, Slough borough council's Planning Committee approved the master plan for the £450 million 'Heart of Slough' project, which will lead to the regeneration of a 29-acre site in the town centre. The project is to be delivered by the borough council in partnership with the Homes and Communities Agency and Development Securities and will deliver 1,500 new homes, 35,000 square metres of office space, a new bus station and measures to improve pedestrian flow between the High Street and the bus and rail stations. The bus station is due to be completed in early 2011 and will form a key part of the borough council's vision for Slough as a regional transport hub.

Streatham

Keith Hill: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport if he will set out, with statistical evidence relating as closely as possible to Streatham constituency, the effects on that constituency of changes to his Department's policies since 1997.

Sadiq Khan: The Department for Transport (DFT) does not routinely hold transport statistics on a parliamentary constituency basis. However, the Department provides Transport for London (TfL) with a block grant to fund transport delivery in London. This grant has increased by just over 245 per cent. in the last nine years, rising to some £3.3 billion in 2010-11. Drawing on these and other resources, the Mayor is responsible for publishing, and through TfL, implementing a transport strategy for London, while the boroughs are required to publish local implementation plans which set out how they will contribute to the Mayor's strategy.
	The additional funding that has been made available has helped deliver 1,089 million passenger journeys on the Tube in 2008-09, the highest ever. London Underground's scheduled service is now its largest ever, and in 2008-09 96.4 per cent. was run, the best annual result for 14 years.
	Bus services in London have also improved. 2,247 million passenger journeys were made in 2008-09 and patronage grew by almost 47 per cent. between 1997-98 and 2007-08.
	Concessionary travel continues to benefit elderly and disabled Londoners, and more than a million people currently hold a Freedom Pass.
	South London rail routes serving Streatham have also improved. Southern have delivered a new fleet of trains, some of which operate on South London services, and the remaining rolling stock has been refurbished. Stations such as Streatham Hill and Gipsy Hill are being improved as part of the National Stations Improvement programme.
	On the roads, national targets to reduce the number of people killed or seriously injured by 40 per cent. and reduce the number of slight casualties by 10 per cent. (compared to the period 1994-98) by 2010 were largely exceeded by TfL by 2004, leading to TfL setting themselves new targets of 50 per cent. and 25 per cent. respectively.
	Various improvements in relation to cycling have also been realised across London. In May 2010 TfL will launch its cycle hire scheme and construction of the first two (out of 12) cycle superhighways is presently under way. One runs close to Streatham through Lambeth to the City and is anticipated to be ready this summer. TfL report that cycling now accounts for 2 per cent. of trips in London compared to 1.2 per cent. in 2000, and between 2000-01 and 2007-08 TfL's automatic cycle counters reported an increase in cyclists of 91 per cent.

Vauxhall

Kate Hoey: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport if he will set out, with statistical evidence relating as closely as possible to Vauxhall constituency, the effects on the constituency of changes to his Department's policies since 1997.

Sadiq Khan: The Department for Transport (DfT) does not routinely hold transport statistics on a parliamentary constituency basis. However, the Department provides Transport for London (TfL) with a block grant to fund transport delivery in London. This grant has increased by just over 245 per cent. in the last nine years, rising to some £3.3 billion in 2010-11. Drawing on these and other resources, the Mayor is responsible for publishing and, through TfL, implementing a Transport Strategy for London, while the boroughs are required to publish Local Implementation Plans which set out how they will contribute to the Mayor's strategy.
	The additional funding that has been made available has helped deliver 1,089 million passenger journeys on the tube in 2008-09, the highest ever. London Underground's scheduled service is now its largest ever, and in 2008-09 96.4 per cent. was run, the best annual result for 14 years.
	Bus services in London have also improved. 2,247 million passenger journeys were made in 2008-09 and patronage grew by almost 47 per cent. between 1997-98 and 2007-08.
	Concessionary travel continues to benefit elderly and disabled Londoners, and more than a million older people currently hold a Freedom Pass.
	South London rail routes serving Vauxhall have also improved. Southern have delivered a new fleet of trains, some of which operate on South London services, and the remaining rolling stock has been refurbished.
	On the roads, national targets to reduce the number of people killed or seriously injured by 40 per cent. and reduce the number of slight casualties by 10 per cent. (compared to the period 1994-98) by 2010 were largely exceeded by TfL by 2004, leading to TfL setting themselves new targets of 50 per cent. and 25 per cent. respectively.
	Various improvements in relation to cycling have also been realised across London. In May 2010 TfL will launch its cycle hire scheme and construction of the first two (out of 12) cycle superhighways is presently under way. One runs through Vauxhall to the City and is anticipated to be ready this summer. TfL report that cycling now accounts for 2 per cent. of trips in London compared to 1.2 per cent. in 2000, and between 2000-01 and 2007-08, TfL's automatic cycle counters reported an increase in cyclists of 91 per cent.

ENERGY AND CLIMATE CHANGE

Nuclear Power Stations: Aviation

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change on how many occasions since 2006 air exclusion zones around licensed nuclear installations have been breached; what action was taken in each case; and if he will place in the Library a copy of the report made on each incident.

David Kidney: Five reports of alleged nuclear installation restricted airspace infringements have warranted investigation since 2006. These reports are summarised in the following table:
	
		
			  Offence  Location  Legislation reference  Description  Outcome  Closed 
			 29 January 2006 AWE Aldermaston AN (Restriction of Flying) (Nuclear Installations) Regulations 2002 Low flying over a nuclear establishment No further action. No witnesses came forward 14 March 2006 
			   
			 17 July 2006 AWE Burghfield AN (Restrictions of Flying) (Nuclear Installations) Regulations 2002 Low flying over a nuclear establishment Insufficient evidence to proceed 6 October 2006 
			 23 January 2007 AWE Aldermaston AN (Restriction of Flying) (Nuclear Installations) Regulations 2002 Infringement and low flying over a nuclear establishment The pilot thought to be involved in this incident was reminded of his obligations under the Air Navigation (Restriction of Flying) (Nuclear Installations) Regulations 23 March 2007 
			   
			 21 September 2007 Springfields, nr. Preston AN (Restriction of Flying) (Nuclear Installations) Regulations 2002 Low flying over a nuclear establishment Insufficient evidence to proceed 11 March 2008 
			   
			 5 October 2007 Dungeness power station, Kent AN (Restriction of Flying) (Nuclear Installations) Regulations 2002 Infringement and low flying over a nuclear establishment The pilot has been sent a warning letter 31 October 2007

Coal Gasification

Chris Mullin: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what estimate he has made of the likely contribution of coal gasification to UK energy needs; and if he will make a statement.

David Kidney: The Coal Authority has recently granted six conditional licences for underground coal gasification (UCG) and is currently considering a further five applications. However, the technical and economic viability of UCG has not to date been demonstrated in UK conditions and it is, therefore, too early to judge what contribution this fledgling technology might make to future UK energy needs.

Combined Heat and Power

Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what estimate he has made of the potential financial contribution to the UK economy of the micro-combined heat and power industry.

David Kidney: The Government have not produced estimates of the potential financial contribution to the UK economy of the microCHP industry. Any such estimates would depend on market size, which would depend in part on the nature and level of support to the technology, as well as a range of commercial factors, and the nature of the manufacturing process for the different technologies relative to conventional boilers.
	The Carbon Trust is carrying out field trials on micro CHP. An interim report was published in 2007, and final results should be published shortly.

Departmental Manpower

Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many performance reviews were undertaken in respect of staff of his Department and its predecessors in each of the last five years; in how many cases performance was rated as unsatisfactory or below; how many staff left as a direct result of such a rating; and what percentage of full-time equivalent staff this represented.

Joan Ruddock: The Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) was created in October 2008 bringing together staff from Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform (BERR) and Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA). Each Department had a separate legacy appraisal system. The number of performance reviews carried out for staff in DECC under those legacy arrangements since that date are shown in the following table.
	
		
			  2008-09 end of year performance reviews 
			  Appraisal system  Number of reviews 
			 Staff appraised using the BERR system 440 
			 Staff appraised using the DEFRA system 258 
			 Total 698 
		
	
	Data relating to the previous years, i.e. 2004-08, are not available as the cost to identify the staff involved would be disproportionately expensive.
	The number of staff identified as having a performance level that is unsatisfactory or below is not being disclosed so as to maintain individual confidentiality.

Departmental Written Questions

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what average time his Department took to answer questions for  (a) ordinary written answer and  (b) written answer on a named day in the last 12 months.

Joan Ruddock: The information requested is shown in the following table.
	
		
			   Ordinary written PQs  Named day PQs 
			   Number  Average time taken  Number  Average time taken 
			  Session 2008: 
			 1 January-11 November 2009 1,387 10.1 352 9.0 
			  
			  Session 2009: 
			 18 November-31 December 2009 315 6.3 52 4.9

Energy: Business

Jim Cousins: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what steps  (a) he and  (b) Ofgem have taken to ensure that energy supplies provide fair payment terms to small businesses.

David Kidney: holding answer 25 January 2010
	Ofgem is responsible for regulating gas and electricity supply, including supply to the business sector. In August 2009, Ofgem announced the introduction of new licence requirements to provide greater protection for small business customers when entering into a new supply contract. This followed the probe into the energy supply market during 2008.
	The changes, which came into effect from 18 January 2010, require suppliers, among other things, to send small business customers a reminder at least 30 calendar days before their existing contract is due to end, and include details of the last point the customer can notify that they wish to agree a new contract or switch supply to another supplier, and limit the length of time of an automatic rolled-over contract to 12 months.
	For customers on existing contracts the new rules will apply once their contracts ends.

Fuel Poverty

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change pursuant to the answer of 20 January 2010,  Official Report, column 401W, on fuel poverty, when the definition of fuel poverty was last reviewed.

David Kidney: The Warm Homes and Energy Conservation Act 2000 defines a fuel poor person as one living on a lower income in a home which cannot be kept warm at reasonable cost.
	The most widely accepted definition of a fuel poor household is one which needs to spend more than 10 per cent. of its net income to heat its home to an adequate standard of warmth (usually 21 degrees for the main living area, and 18 degrees for other occupied rooms).
	There has been no review of this definition.

Fuel Poverty: Chelmsford

Simon Burns: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many households in  (a) West Chelmsford constituency and  (b) the Chelmsford local authority area have received assistance from his Department and its predecessors to meet or reduce fuel and heating costs in each of the last five years.

David Kidney: holding answer 1 February 2010
	The following table shows how many households in  (a) West Chelmsford constituency and  (b) the Chelmsford local authority area have received assistance from the Warm Front scheme since the start of the current phase of the scheme in 2005.
	
		
			  Number 
			   2005-06  2006-07  2007-08  2008-09  2009-10( 1)  Total 
			 West Chelmsford 74 217 278 388 227 1,184 
			 Chelmsford local authority 117 329 476 693 380 1,995 
			 (1) To 31 December 2009.   Note:  Prior to 2005 the scheme was managed by a different agent in the Chelmsford area, and data are not available. 
		
	
	Other households in the West Chelmsford constituency and the Chelmsford local authority area will have benefited from other Government schemes in the last five years. However, data in respect of the Carbon Emissions Reduction Target (CERT) are not available at the level requested, as suppliers are only required to report to Ofgem on a GB-wide basis. Similarly, data for other schemes and social tariffs are not available at such a low level of geography.

Fuel Poverty: Chelmsford

Simon Burns: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many households were in fuel poverty in  (a) West Chelmsford constituency and  (b) the Chelmsford local authority area in (i) 2003 and (ii) 2009.

David Kidney: holding answer 1 February 2010
	The most recently available sub-regional split of fuel poverty relates to 2006. It shows that there were around 2,700 fuel poor households in the West Chelmsford constituency and 4,200 poor households in the Chelmsford local authority area.
	In 2003 there were around 2,300 fuel poor households in the West Chelmsford constituency and around 3,600 fuel poor households in the Chelmsford local authority area.
	The methodology used for the 2006 work differs from that previously used, so care should be taken in comparing the fuel poverty levels in one area between 2003 and 2006.

Fuel Poverty: Kent

Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what estimate he has made of the number of households in  (a) Ashford constituency and  (b) Kent which (i) were in fuel poverty in the latest period for which figures are available, (ii) have come out of fuel poverty since 1997 and (iii) have re-entered fuel poverty since 1997.

David Kidney: In 2006, the most recent year for which sub-regional figures are available, there were around 3,900 fuel poor households in Ashford, and 59,900 fuel poor households living in Kent. Corresponding figures for 1996 are not available.
	Fuel poverty estimates are derived from a survey, which provides a means of producing aggregate data on numbers of households in fuel poverty, but does not allow for details of individual households moving in to or out of fuel poverty to be monitored, as a different sample of households are surveyed each year.
	In England as a whole, fuel poverty has reduced from 5.1 million households in 1996, to 2.8 million households in 2007.

Nuclear Power: Regulation

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what the cost was of holding the public meeting on his Department's document on nuclear justification held at the Marriott Hotel, Marble Arch on 19 January 2010; and what consideration his Department gave to holding the meeting on its premises.

David Kidney: The cost of the public engagement event held as part of the consultation on my right hon. Friend's the Secretary of State's proposed regulatory justification decisions on new nuclear power stations has not been finalised but is likely to be £12,000. This includes venue hire, event organisation, an independent facilitator, recording of a transcript for publication on our website and, where appropriate, travel expense for some delegates. A Government venue was not chosen on this occasion as a hotel offered more flexible options for staging the event.

Renewable Energy

Lindsay Roy: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what steps his Department is taking to encourage renewable energy; and if he will make a statement.

David Kidney: We published the Renewable Energy Strategy (RES) in July last year and this set out the comprehensive action plan that the UK Government have for achieving an almost seven-fold increase in the use of renewable energy by 2020. A copy of the Strategy has been deposited in the Libraries of both Houses.
	The Government are fully committed to delivering the UK's share of the overall EU target for renewable energy and transforming our energy use at the scale required. In order to meet our targets, we need to bring about significant and dramatic change through a range of measures including the provision of appropriate incentives and the removal of financial barriers, and the Government are working to create the right conditions for companies to invest in renewable energy projects across the country.
	The Office for Renewable Energy Deployment (ORED) was also set up in July 2009 to take forward the commitments in the RES, including overcoming the non-financial barriers to deployment and the supply chain blockages and promoting business opportunities in the renewable sector in the UK.

Snow and Ice

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what estimate he has made of the costs to his Department arising from the severe weather conditions in the period 4 January to 18 January 2010; and if he will make a statement.

Joan Ruddock: No estimate has been made of any such costs.

Warm Front Scheme: Chelmsford

Simon Burns: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many domestic properties in  (a) West Chelmsford constituency and  (b) the Chelmsford local authority area have received insulation improvements under the Warm Front scheme since its inception.

David Kidney: holding answer 1 February 2010
	The following table shows how many domestic properties in  (a) West Chelmsford constituency and  (b) the Chelmsford local authority area have received insulation improvements under the Warm Front scheme since the start of the current phase of the scheme in 2005.
	
		
			  Number 
			   2005-06  2006-07  2007-08  2008-09  2009/10( 1) 
			 West Chelmsford 16 119 125 177 118 
			 Chelmsford local authority 31 173 207 299 217 
			 (1 )To 31 December 2009.   Note:  Prior to 2005 the scheme was administered by a different scheme manager in the Chelmsford area, and data is not available.

Wind Power

Mark Lancaster: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what the installed capacity is of the UK's  (a) off- and  (b) on-shore wind turbines.

David Kidney: The current installed capacity for wind farms in the UK is 4,280.2 MW. This is made up of:
	Off-shore-680.8 MW
	On-shore-3,599.4 MW

Wind Power

Mark Lancaster: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what the daily load factors were at each  (a) offshore and  (b) onshore wind farm site around the UK in each of the first two weeks of December 2009.

David Kidney: Load factors are defined as the average hourly quantity of electricity supplied during the year, expressed as a percentage of the average output capability at the beginning and end of the year. As such, these are only calculated on an annual basis, with the latest data for 2008 showing 29.4 per cent. for onshore wind and 34.9 per cent. for offshore wind. However, an indication of the daily load factor can be obtained by calculating total operational wind generation as a percentage of the theoretical maximum generation for all operationally metered wind plants. This is given in the following table. Where this figure exceeds the load factors given above, the plants are operating at above average levels.
	This data are made available by national grid and only refers to wind which is operationally metered i.e. around half of the onshore wind farms and none of the offshore wind farms.
	
		
			  Electricity supplied by wind during first two weeks of December 2009 
			   Operationally metered wind generation (MWh)  Percentage of operationally metered wind generation relative to theoretical maximum operationally metered supply 
			 1 December 2009 17,586 47 
			 2 December 2009 9,306 25 
			 3 December 2009 6,966 19 
			 4 December 2009 6,569 17 
			 5 December 2009 13,221 35 
			 6 December 2009 21,125 56 
			 7 December 2009 9,432 25 
			 8 December 2009 9,824 26 
			 9 December 2009 14,020 37 
			 10 December 2009 3,882 10 
			 11 December 2009 3,632 10 
			 12 December 2009 1,444 4 
			 13 December 2009 998 3 
			 14 December 2009 7,315 19

HOME DEPARTMENT

Alcoholic Drinks: Young People

Tobias Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many licensees were  (a) prosecuted and  (b) convicted of selling alcohol to under age persons in each year since 1997.

Alan Campbell: The number of defendants proceeded against at magistrates courts and found guilty at all courts for sale, or allowing sale of alcohol to a person under 18, England and Wales 1997 to 2008 (latest available) can be viewed in the following table.
	A Penalty Notice for Disorder (PND) can also be issued for the offence of sale, or allowing sale of alcohol to a person under 18, this information has been included in the table.
	This is the latest data available.
	
		
			  Number of defendants proceeded against at magistrates courts and found guilty at all courts and Penalty Notices for Disorder (PNDs) issued for sale, or allowing sale of alcohol to a person under 18( 1) , England and Wales, 1997 to 2008( 2,3) 
			   Proceeded against  Found guilty  Total PNDs issued( 4) 
			 1997 215 126 n/a 
			 1998 311 158 n/a 
			 1999 205 115 n/a 
			 2000 132 56 n/a 
			 2001 158 53 n/a 
			 2002 170 105 n/a 
			 2003 616 419 n/a 
			 2004 861 608 113 
			 2005 1,084 772 2,058 
			 2006 1,199 854 3,195 
			 2007 693 525 3,583 
			 2008 459 366 2,824 
			 n/a = Not applicable. (1) Data includes the following offence descriptions and corresponding statutes: Selling etc intoxicating liquor to person under 18 for consumption on the premises-Licensing Act 1964 S. 169 A  B as added by Licensing (Young Persons) Act 2000 S. 1, Licensing (Occasional Permissions) Act 1983S.3 [Sch. Para. 4(1)]. Sale of alcohol to person under 18-Licensing Act 2003 S. 146. Allowing sale of alcohol to person under 18-Licensing Act 2003 S. 147. Wholesaler selling intoxicating liquor to a person under 18-Licensing Act 1964 S. 181A(1) as added by Licensing Act 1988 S. 17. Persistently selling alcohol to children-Licensing Act 2003 S. 147A as added by Violent Crime reduction Act 2006. (2) Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used. (3) The 'total proceeded against' statistics relate to persons for whom these offences were the principal offences for which they were dealt with. When a defendant has been found guilty of two or more offences the principal offence is the offence for which the heaviest penalty is imposed. Where the same disposal is imposed for two or more offences, the offence selected is the offence for which the statutory maximum penalty is the most severe. (4) First year of PND scheme. PNDs were rolled out nationally on 1 April 2004.  Source: Justice Statistics Analytical Services-Ministry of Justice

Antisocial Behaviour: Milton Keynes

Mark Lancaster: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much funding his Department has provided to tackle antisocial behaviour in Milton Keynes in each of the last three years.

Alan Campbell: Since 2004-05, as with all other Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnerships (CDRPs), Milton Keynes was allocated £25,000 a year as a contribution towards funding an ASB Co-ordinator Post. In 2005-06, in England the antisocial co-ordinators grant was pooled within the Safer and Stronger Communities Fund.
	This pooled budget supported the delivery of outcomes and indicators relating to antisocial behaviour in local area agreements (LAAs). As of 2008-09 Home Office funding for local authorities to tackle antisocial behaviour now form part of the general Area Based Grant (ABG) paid by the Department of Communities and Local Government. This funding has been renewed for the period 2008-11 and it is for local partnerships to agree how the grants received should be allocated against locally determined priorities, including tackling antisocial behaviour.
	There is also wider funding which contributes towards the wider cross-Government strategy to tackle antisocial behaviour, including an additional £10 million announced on 20 November 2009 by the Department for Communities and Local Government to 130 local authorities to support the fight against antisocial behaviour. In addition, the Government are committed to diverting young people from crime and antisocial behaviour as demonstrated by our investment in universal services such as Sure Start Children's Centres, parenting support and positive activities as well as targeted work through the Youth Crime Action Plan (YCAP).
	Home Office led activities also act to tackle antisocial behaviour, for example the introduction of community support officers. Funding for neighbourhood policing (NP) (including police community support officers (PCSOs) is provided to police authorities. For England and Wales in total the 2009-10 funding is £332 million. Milton Keynes is within the Thames Valley Police area. Funding for Thames Valley for 2009-10 NP/PCSOs is £8.94 million. It is for police authorities to allocate resources, and for chief constables to deploy personnel (including PCSOs) within each police force area.

Antisocial Behaviour: North East

Jim Cousins: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many  (a) anti-social behaviour orders,  (b) parenting orders and  (c) curfew orders have been issued in each local authority in Tyne and Wear in the last 12 months.

Alan Campbell: Antisocial behaviour orders (ASBOs) became available from 1 April 1999. The latest available data on the number of ASBOs issued covers the period 1 April 1999 to 31 December 2007. These data are not available below Criminal Justice System (CJS) area level.
	Between 1 April 1999 and 31 December 2007, a total of 426 ASBOs were issued at all courts in the Northumbria Criminal Justice System area.
	Parenting Orders under the Crime and Disorder Act 1998 were piloted between 30 September 1998 and 31 March 2000 and commenced in England and Wales in June 2000. The Anti-social Behaviour Act 2003, the Criminal Justice Act 2003, Police and Justice Act 2005, and the Education and Inspections Act 2006 amended Parenting Orders to increase their flexibility and widen their availability.
	The data provided is from the Youth Justice Board. The Home Office collects data on parenting orders as part of the Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnerships survey but this is not published by area. Prior to 2008-09, the Youth Justice Board collected the number of parenting orders issued by youth offending team (YOT) area, as reported to it by youth offending teams including education-related orders where the YOT has been involved and also Parenting Orders made in combination with antisocial behaviour orders, Sexual Offences Prevention Orders and Child Safety Orders. In 2008-09, the Youth Justice Board only collected data on the number of Parenting Orders imposed at court in relation to Parenting Orders imposed under the Crime and Disorder Act 1998, s8(1)(c), and Parenting Orders made in combination with Referral Orders, on the date that the court imposed the order on the parent during the reporting period. The available information is shown in table A.
	Curfew orders with electronic monitoring were rolled out across England and Wales on 1 December 1999 following trials in seven areas. Section 37 of the Powers of Criminal Courts (Sentencing) Act 2000 allows the courts to impose curfew orders on offenders. Data for curfew orders are not available below Criminal Justice System (CJS) area level. The available information is shown in table B.
	
		
			  Table A: Number of parenting orders from 2000-01 to 2008-09 (latest available data) 
			   2000-01  2001-02  2002-03  2003-04  2004-05  2005-06  2006-07  2007-08  2008-09 
			 Gateshead 38 22 15 16 11 12 15 16 11 
			 Newcastle-upon-Tyne 0 0 3 5 3 4 2 2 0 
			 North Tyneside 2 3 12 1 0 4 0 0 0 
			 South Tyneside 20 15 11 12 16 17 21 15 19 
			 Sunderland 39 23 76 108 7 31 22 58 63 
			  Notes: 1. The Youth Justice Board is only responsible for answering the question relating to parenting orders. 2. While we do not have data on parenting orders broken down by local authority, we do have it broken down by YOT area. We are assuming that the YOT areas in Tyne and Wear include South Tyneside, North Tyneside, Newcastle-upon Tyne, Gateshead and Sunderland. 3. In 2008-09, the Youth Justice Board only collected data on the number of Parenting Orders imposed at court in relation to Parenting Orders imposed under the Crime and Disorder Act 1998 s8(1)(c) and Parenting Orders made in combination with Referral Orders, on the date that the court imposed the order on the parent during the reporting period. Prior to 2008-09, the Youth Justice Board also collected data on Education Parenting Orders, i.e. those imposed under the Crime and Disorder Act 1998, s8(1)(d), and also Parenting Orders made in combination with antisocial behaviour orders, Sexual Offences Prevention Orders and Child Safety Orders. 4. However to simplify the comparability of the data between the different years, we have not included the figures on Education Parenting Orders. YOTs were required to report Parenting Orders made in combination with antisocial behaviour orders, Sexual Offences Prevention Orders and Child Safety Orders up until 2007-08, but from 2008-09 are no longer required to do so in order to reduce the burden of data collection.  Caution: These figures have been drawn from administrative IT systems, which, as with any large scale recording system, are subject to possible errors with data entry and processing and may be subject to change over time. 
		
	
	
		
			  Table B: Total curfew orders( 1)  issued at all courts in Northumbria Criminal Justice Area, 1997-2007 
			   Number 
			 1997 - 
			 1998 - 
			 1999 1 
			 2000 42 
			 2001 100 
			 2002 146 
			 2003 262 
			 2004 227 
			 2005 197 
			 2006 153 
			 2007 98 
			 (1) Curfew Order with electronic monitoring and Curfew Order without electronic monitoring. These figures do not include community orders given with a curfew requirement.  Notes: 1. These figures have been drawn from administrative data systems. 2. Although care is taken when processing and analysing the returns, the detail collected is subject to the inaccuracies inherent in any large scale recording system.  Source: Justice Statistics-Analytical Services, Ministry of Justice

Crimes of Violence

Adam Holloway: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many incidents of violence against the person without injury have been recorded by each police force in each quarter since April 2006.

Alan Campbell: holding answer 29 January 2010
	Data are provided on police force level in each quarter since April 2006.
	The available information relates to offences recorded by the police and the number of offences is given in Table A.
	The data are in line with data published in the latest quarterly statistical bulletin on crime on 21 January 2010. The Home Office has undertaken a quarterly data reconciliation exercise with police forces covering the period for which figures are provided.
	
		
			  Table A : Violence against the person offences without injury by police force area in each quarter since April 2006 
			  Number 
			  Police force area  2006/ 07-Q1  2006/ 07-Q2  2006/ 07-Q3  2006/ 07-Q4  2007/ 08-Q1  2007/ 08-Q2  2007/ 08-Q3 
			 Avon and Somerset 4,305 5,068 5,099 3,115 4,193 3,865 2,914 
			 Bedfordshire 1,254 1,034 941 797 864 831 833 
			 Cambridgeshire 1,454 1,425 1,461 1,233 1,574 1,453 1,325 
			 Cheshire 1,943 2,072 2,124 2,005 1,910 1,813 1,809 
			 Cleveland 1,798 1,929 2,000 2,086 2,150 1,834 1,668 
			 Cumbria 1,031 1,065 1,021 903 1,072 1,152 1,062 
			 Derbyshire 1,261 1,187 1,255 1,353 1,531 1,457 1,434 
			 Devon and Cornwall 2,969 3,255 2,933 2,394 2,880 3,015 2,592 
			 Dorset 1,732 2,011 1,530 1,386 1,670 1,828 1,521 
			 Durham 1,266 1,255 1,168 1,137 1,024 960 928 
			 Dyfed-Powys 1,247 1,117 944 794 818 859 754 
			 Essex 2,584 2,697 2,693 2,896 3,610 3,054 2,930 
			 Gloucestershire 1,609 1,473 1,696 1,478 1,439 1,470 1,357 
			 Greater Manchester 7,725 7,209 7,705 6,832 7,050 6,672 6,602 
			 Gwent 1,175 1,392 1,395 1,100 1,144 1,136 1,000 
			 Hampshire 7,872 7,531 5,551 4,887 6,272 6,417 5,584 
			 Hertfordshire 2,653 2,607 2,411 2,155 2,152 2,084 1,874 
			 Humberside 2,523 2,658 3,014 2,804 2,723 2,821 2,494 
			 Kent 3,392 3,664 3,384 2,754 3,190 3,338 3,029 
			 Lancashire 6,944 7,132 6,441 5,515 6,088 6,434 5,959 
			 Leicestershire 2,738 2,947 2,904 2,681 2,702 2,667 2,373 
			 Lincolnshire 1,476 1,583 1,418 1,214 1,463 1,442 1,321 
			 London, City of 151 200 175 168 180 158 133 
			 Merseyside 4,262 3,377 2,604 2,653 2,821 2,772 2,543 
			 Metropolitan Police 26,760 26,593 24,800 24,503 25,226 25,933 24,064 
			 Norfolk 1,553 1,766 1,611 1,423 1,462 1,418 1,292 
			 North Wales 2,120 2,499 2,341 1,833 1,900 1,810 1,688 
			 North Yorkshire 1,081 1,180 1,170 1,144 1,367 1,349 1,178 
			 Northamptonshire 1,132 997 1,088 1,144 1,348 1,364 1,326 
			 Northumbria 2,868 2,924 2,613 2,486 2,280 2,279 1,949 
			 Nottinghamshire 2,075 2,263 2,293 2,258 2,438 2,458 2,084 
			 South Wales 2,310 2,548 2,483 2,105 2,441 3,067 3,187 
			 South Yorkshire 3,224 2,732 2,677 2,592 2,568 2,676 2,401 
			 Staffordshire 3,211 3,601 3,235 2,457 2,751 2,694 2,406 
			 Suffolk 1,403 1,511 1,337 1,308 1,384 1,552 1,384 
			 Surrey 1,889 2,038 2,293 1,986 2,625 2,433 2,101 
			 Sussex 4,292 4,565 4,020 3,607 4,174 4,020 3,612 
			 Thames Valley 6,790 6,591 6,832 6,444 7,395 7,179 6,951 
			 Warwickshire 919 837 964 857 966 968 910 
			 West Mercia 1,629 1,839 1,698 1,679 2,062 1,780 1,618 
			 West Midlands 5,142 5,438 5,601 5,030 5,155 5,173 4,976 
			 West Yorkshire 5,658 5,282 4,850 4,485 5,219 5,071 4,439 
			 Wiltshire 861 958 853 838 871 783 954 
		
	
	
		
			  Number 
			  Police force area  2007/08-Q4  2008/09-Q1  2008/09-Q2  2008/09-Q3  2008/09-Q4  2009/10-Q1  2009/10-Q2 
			 Avon and Somerset 3,114 3,868 3,871 3,739 3,623 4,216 4,266 
			 Bedfordshire 625 790 724 775 877 831 875 
			 Cambridgeshire 1,421 1,400 1,391 1,220 1,213 1,385 1,552 
			 Cheshire 1,896 1,846 1,868 1,769 1,761 1,762 1,624 
			 Cleveland 1,795 1,649 1,464 1,217 1,410 1,202 1,111 
			 Cumbria 933 1,009 996 954 884 984 893 
			 Derbyshire 1,374 1,630 1,515 1,268 1,212 1,503 1,411 
			 Devon and Cornwall 2,406 2,679 2,644 2,382 2,231 2,721 2,668 
			 Dorset 1,406 1,456 1,450 1,273 1,251 1,431 1,333 
			 Durham 938 952 999 919 886 908 815 
			 Dyfed-Powys 645 758 788 780 672 819 843 
			 Essex 2,690 3,259 3,217 2,947 2,823 2,992 2,938 
			 Gloucestershire 1,306 1,287 1,424 1,265 1,107 1,124 1,012 
			 Greater Manchester 6,106 6,239 6,340 5,644 5,382 5,777 5,408 
			 Gwent 905 844 955 1,025 759 971 1,025 
			 Hampshire 5,362 5,305 5,072 5,123 4,960 4,917 5,055 
			 Hertfordshire 1,742 1,932 1,867 1,784 1,557 1,799 1,669 
			 Humberside 2,231 2,389 2,515 2,408 2,022 2,196 2,157 
			 Kent 2,913 2,970 3,267 2,989 2,915 2,666 2,644 
			 Lancashire 5,773 5,812 6,147 5,621 5,658 5,801 5,672 
			 Leicestershire 2,420 2,527 2,792 2,680 2,683 2,975 2,807 
			 Lincolnshire 1,218 1,366 1,385 1,234 1,073 1,216 1,235 
			 London, City of 112 150 152 123 85 124 116 
			 Merseyside 2,794 2,974 2,822 2,445 2,560 2,615 2,643 
			 Metropolitan Police 24,205 26,818 26,682 24,931 24,518 26,396 26,564 
			 Norfolk 1,177 1,335 1,272 1,162 1,132 1,253 1,241 
			 North Wales 1,506 1,570 1,826 1,780 1,664 1,870 2,159 
			 North Yorkshire 1,130 825 1,083 965 939 894 943 
			 Northamptonshire 1,156 1,160 1,162 1,186 1,110 1,267 1,341 
			 Northumbria 2,004 2,302 2,397 1,949 2,011 2,068 2,089 
			 Nottinghamshire 1,871 2,148 2,005 2,007 1,636 1,689 1,773 
			 South Wales 2,976 2,897 2,874 2,763 2,540 2,718 2,555 
			 South Yorkshire 2,109 2,204 2,215 1,794 1,772 1,949 1,867 
			 Staffordshire 2,218 2,547 2,726 2,428 2,345 2,523 2,541 
			 Suffolk 1,191 1,317 1,394 1,398 1,313 1,403 1,446 
			 Surrey 1,798 2,151 2,012 2,112 1,987 2,294 2,364 
			 Sussex 3,414 3,261 2,987 2,900 2,763 3,237 3,102 
			 Thames Valley 6,617 6,966 6,818 6,346 6,176 6,494 6,735 
			 Warwickshire 936 833 825 618 655 657 727 
			 West Mercia 1,701 1,951 1,896 1,637 1,593 1,755 1,773 
			 West Midlands 4,815 4,947 4,852 4,564 4,284 5,322 5,034 
			 West Yorkshire 4,074 4,432 4,342 3,849 3,747 4,026 3,827 
			 Wiltshire 1,056 1,066 1,200 957 911 1,182 1,091 
			  Notes:  1. Figures given in the table are taken from the database used for the publication 'Crime in England and Wales: Quarterly Update to September 2009' of 22 January 2010.  2. Violence against the person-without injury includes threat or conspiracy to murder, harassment, possession of weapons, other offences against children and assault without injury (formerly common assault where there is no injury). 
		
	
	continued
	.

Crimes of Violence: Bookmakers

Brian Binley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many violent attacks on racecourse bookmakers travelling to and from racecourses have been recorded in the last 12 months.

Alan Campbell: The information requested is not collected centrally.

Departmental Written Questions

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what average time his Department took to answer questions for  (a) ordinary written answer and  (b) written answer on a named day in the last 12 months.

Alan Campbell: Between 1 January 2009 and 31 December 2010, the Home Office took on average 10 days to respond to an ordinary written question and nine days to respond to a named day question. These figures do not take parliamentary recess into account.
	With effect from the current Session of Parliament, each department will provide the Procedure Committee with sessional statistics on the time taken to answer written questions. This implements recommendation 24 of the 3rd report from the Procedure Committee, Session 2008-09.

DNA: Databases

James Brokenshire: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many DNA records obtained by the police since 1997 have not been loaded on to the National DNA Database; and if he will make a statement.

Alan Campbell: holding answer 25 January 2010
	Data on the number of DNA samples taken by the police were not collected centrally before April 2000. In the period 1 April 2000 to 31 March 2009, 4,986,306 DNA samples were taken from persons arrested by police forces in England and Wales. During this period, 4,544,962 DNA subject profiles were loaded onto the National DNA Database (NDNAD). Therefore, an estimated 441,344 subject DNA samples (9 per cent. of the total samples taken) were not loaded to the database during this period.
	The figure of 441,344 relates to samples taken and not to individuals. A proportion of the samples will be replicate samples as some persons are arrested on more than one occasion and may be re-sampled. It should be noted that the figures for DNA samples taken and DNA profiles loaded onto the NDNAD are not directly comparable. The number of DNA profiles loaded onto the NDNAD includes profiles derived from volunteer samples, whereas volunteer samples are not included in the figures for DNA samples taken by the police. Profiles where the load date is unknown are not included in the profile loaded figure.
	Not all DNA samples taken by the police result in a profile loaded onto the NDNAD. There are a number of reasons for this:
	Subsequent checks of the Police National Computer (PNC) within the police force may show that the individual already has a DNA profile on the NDNAD, possibly taken by another police force. Therefore there is no need to send a duplicate sample to a forensic supplier for profiling and loading onto the NDNAD. These samples will be destroyed within the police force;
	Some samples may be incomplete, damaged or contaminated so that it is not possible for a DNA profile to be derived and loaded onto the database and will be destroyed in the police force;
	Some samples will be sent for profiling but not result in a DNA profile; and
	Some samples will be sent for profiling but the DNA profile will fail to load onto the database if the related demographic data does not match with a corresponding arrest record on the PNC. These are investigated and may be loaded at a later date.
	The data provided are management information and have not been formally assessed for compliance with the Code of Practice for Official Statistics.

DNA: Databases

James Brokenshire: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent estimate he has made of the number of names attached to records on the National DNA Database which  (a) are mis-spelled and  (b) have been attached in error; and if he will make a statement.

Alan Campbell: holding answer 25 January 2010
	Data provided by the National DNA Database (NDNAD) Delivery unit indicates that between 1 January 2007 and 20 January 2010, it has made changes to eight names on NDNAD profile records following a request from the police force which took the sample. In addition, police forces on occasion may make spelling changes to names on the 'parent' record held on the Police National Computer (PNC). The PNC is linked to the NDNAD and following any changes to names on PNC, an automatic update would be forwarded to the NDNAD.
	In the same period, there have been 330 sampling or administration errors that have led to records being loaded with incorrect demographic data i.e. an error identified in up to approximately 0.019 per cent. of subject profiles in the period 1 January 2007 to 31 December 2009.
	A number of procedures carried out by police forces, forensic suppliers and the NDNAD Delivery Unit are in place to ensure that information is recorded as accurately as possible on the NDNAD. These procedures are designed to ensure as far as possible that errors are not included on the database in the first place, rather than rectifying them once the profile has been loaded. If any irregular record comes to the notice of the NDNAD Delivery Unit, the record is suspended on the database pending an investigation-the outcome of which is that the profile record may be re-instated unchanged, amended or deleted.
	There should be no risk of the wrong individual being charged with an offence since it is a Crown Prosecution Service requirement that, if a person is to be charged on the basis of a DNA match, there must be supporting non-DNA evidence available to be used in evidence. The DNA evidence is one piece of the information that the courts would require for a successful prosecution, as there might be an innocent explanation for someone's presence at a crime scene.

Human Trafficking

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people arrested for a trafficking offence were  (a) cautioned,  (b) convicted,  (c) subsequently charged with a different crime,  (d) subsequently charged and convicted of a different crime and  (e) subsequently released without charge in each of the last 10 years.

Alan Campbell: Three people have been cautioned for trafficking for sexual exploitation between 2004 and 2009. Of those, one person (cautioned in 2006) was subsequently convicted for driving while over the prescribed alcohol limit.

Money Laundering

Jim Cousins: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many deposit-taking institutions reported possible money laundering offences to the National Criminal Intelligence Service in each year since 2003; and what proportion of such reports were made by the 10 sources reporting the most such possible incidents in each such year.

Alan Campbell: The National Criminal Intelligence Service ceased to exist on 1 April 2006, when it became part of the Serious Organised Crime Agency (SOCA). SOCA does not hold full information on the number of suspicious activity reports (SARs) submitted by sector before that date.
	The SARs reporting year runs from 1 October to 30 September. The number of reporters identifying themselves as deposit-taking institutions in each year since SOCA began was:
	248 (October 2006 to September 2007);
	234 (October 2007 to September 2008); and
	237 (October 2008 to September 2009).
	The proportion of total SARs submitted by the 10 highest volume reporters in each year was:
	66 per cent. (October 2006 to September 2007);
	69 per cent. (October 2007 to September 2008); and
	72 per cent. (October 2008 to September 2009).

Opium

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department on how many sites and over how many hectares the illegal growing of opium poppies was discovered in each year since 1997; and in which regions such sites were located.

Alan Johnson: No data are held as the cultivation of opium poppies is not an unlawful activity under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971. An offence of production of a controlled drug is committed under the Act only if the opium is extracted from the opium poppy without such activity being authorised by Home Office license for the purpose of producing opiate medicines.

Police: Complaints

Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  how many and what proportion of appeals to the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) against police investigations of complaints were upheld in each of the last three years; and how many such appeals resulted in a re-investigation  (a) undertaken by the police,  (b) supervised by the IPCC,  (c) managed by the IPCC and  (d) undertaken independently by the IPCC;
	(2)  on how many occasions the Independent Police Complaints Commission has used its statutory powers under the Police Reform Act 2002 to require a complaint case to be referred to it which did not fall to be referred to it on a mandatory basis by the police force or police authority concerned in each of the last three years;
	(3)  on how many occasions the Independent Police Complaints Commission has presented a case against an officer at a police conduct hearing in each of the last three years;
	(4)  on how many occasions the Independent Police Complaints Commission has directed that a police conduct hearing be held in public in each of the last three years.

David Hanson: The Home Office does not hold this information. These are matters for the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) and they will write directly to my hon. Friend.

Proceeds of Crime

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether a privacy impact assessment was undertaken in respect of the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 (References to Financial Investigators) (Amendment) Order 2009 in relation to the proposal to extend the powers to local authorities.

Alan Campbell: No privacy impact assessment was undertaken. local authorities have had investigation powers under the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 since April 2005 and have operated them successfully without criticism or comment. The order makes additional powers under the 2002 Act available to suitably trained and accredited financial investigators in local authorities, notably the power to seize and seek the forfeiture of cash which is suspected of being the proceeds of crime or intended for use in crime. Forfeiture is subject to an order in the magistrates court. The use of the cash seizure and forfeiture powers in the 2002 Act has not previously raised any privacy issues.

Rape: Victim Support Schemes

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much his Department has spent on establishing rape crisis centres in London since May 2008; and how many such centres have been opened.

Alan Johnson: Funding for local sexual assault services including rape crisis centres is provided by the Ministry of Justice and Government Equalities Office not the Home Office. Details of the latest funding round can be found at:
	http://nds.coi.gov.uk/Content/detail.aspx?NewsAreald =2ReleaseID=410635SubjectId=15DepartmentMode=true
	A list of all rape crisis centres can be found using the following website:
	http://www.rapecrisis.org.uk/centres_show.php

Robbery

Mark Lancaster: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many recorded incidents of robbery there were  (a) in total and  (b) per head in Milton Keynes in each of the last five years.

Alan Campbell: Data are provided for Milton Keynes crime and disorder reduction partnership (CDRP) for 2004-05 to 2008-09.
	The available information relates to offences recorded by the police and the number of offences and rates per 1,000 population are given in the following table.
	
		
			  Selected offences recorded by Milton Keynes CDRP and rate per 1,000 population, 2004-05 to 2008-09 
			2004-05  2005-06  2006-07 
			  Offence code  Offence description  No. of offences  Rate per 1,000 population  No. of offences  Rate per 1,000 population  No. of offences  Rate per 1,000 population 
			 34A Robbery of business property 16 0.07 25 0.12 41 0.19 
			 34B Robbery of personal property 242 1.12 265 1.22 302 1.38 
			  Total robbery offences 258 1.20 290 1.34 343 1.57 
		
	
	
		
			2007-08  2008-09 
			  Offence code  Offence description  No. of offences  Rate per 1,000 population  No. of offences  Rate per 1,000 population 
			 34A Robbery of business property 31 0.14 21 0.09 
			 34B Robbery of personal property 264 1.17 277 1.21 
			  Total robbery offences 295 1.31 298 1.30

Shellfish: Testing

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether the Government plan to replace arrangements for the safety testing of shellfish with alternatives which do not require testing on animals.

Meg Hillier: Yes. The Government are fully committed to replacing the current testing arrangements for biotoxins in shellfish with non-animal alternatives. The Home Office has been working on this matter with the Food Standards Agency which is responsible for the monitoring programme for algal toxins in shellfish harvesting areas.
	For one group of toxins (Paralytic Shellfish Poisoning (PSP) toxins), a non-animal method of testing has already been introduced to test mussels and accounts for more than 90 per cent. of all shellfish samples tested for PSP. Subject to review by the FSA of validation data, the method will be extended to additional shellfish species later this year. Another non-animal testing method is also being developed for lipophilic toxins (including Diarrhetic Shellfish Poisoning (DSP)) with the intention of having a validated method for testing mussels available for use in the monitoring programme by June 2011.
	The testing arrangements are required as part of the EU food hygiene requirements for shellfish harvesting areas. The legislation specifies the methods to be used in testing and for most toxins the biological (animal) methods are specified as the reference method.

Special Constables and Police Community Support Officers: Recruitment

David Cameron: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what criteria apply in the selection of candidates to become  (a) a special constable and  (b) a police community support officer.

Alan Johnson: holding answer 1 February 2010
	The National Policing Improvement Agency (NPIA) is responsible for police recruitment policy. The criteria for candidates to become a special constable are outlined in the NPIA's circular Special Constables: Eligibility for Recruitment.
	The selection criteria for police community support officers (PCSOs) are set out in the protocols for the police community support officer national recruitment standard assessment process.
	I have placed copies of both documents in the House Library.
	Each chief police officer is responsible for the selection method for the recruitment of special constables and PCSOs.

Special Constables and Police Community Support Officers: Recruitment

David Cameron: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether time spent  (a) living abroad and  (b) abroad as part of a modern languages degree course at a UK university counts against a person's application to become (i) a special constable and (ii) a police community support officer.

Alan Johnson: holding answer 1 February 2010
	The National Policing Improvement Agency (NPIA) is responsible for providing an overview on vetting policy that advises police forces to obtain satisfactory vetting checks for all applicants to a police force in England and Wales.
	he Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) has issued some further detailed advice to police forces, which sits alongside the NPIA policy, to ensure there is a three year checkable history on all applicants including citizens of the United Kingdom due to the difficulty in obtaining sufficient vetting information from abroad.
	The ACPO guidelines make provisions for those who have spent time abroad for up to 12 months or for educational reasons. Ultimately it is for the police force concerned to make a decision on a case by case basis.
	Certainly applicants who cannot be vetted, will not be appointed.

DEFENCE

Afghanistan: Peacekeeping Operations

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many and what proportion of personnel deployed to Afghanistan in the current deployment undertook individual reinforcement training rather than full collective pre-deployment training.

Kevan Jones: The information requested is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	However, no armed forces personnel deploy to operations without being fully trained for the job they are required to do. Pre-deployment training is mandatory for all personnel. The quantity and nature of this training varies between individuals and units depending on existing skill levels and the role to be filled on deployment.

Armed Forces: Discharges

Andrew Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what information is made available to the service personnel and Veterans Agency on individuals appearing before a medical discharge board; and if he will make a statement.

Kevan Jones: holding answer 8 December 2009
	The decision to discharge on the grounds of being medically unfit for service is taken by the relevant singe service manning staff based on the recommendations of a medical board. If the limitations of continuing employment are such that personnel can no longer perform the unique requirements service in the armed forces requires then they will be discharged.
	Prior to this process any individual who is considered likely to be medically discharged will be supported throughout by a designated key case worker. Furthermore, access to resettlement provision and housing advice can be initiated as well as requesting a provisional pension assessment.
	A date of discharge will invariably include a period of time that allows for the completion of a resettlement package, annual and terminal leave, but the commencement of resettlement activity can be initiated as soon as it is considered likely that a discharge as a result of being medically unfit will be granted. Furthermore, where resettlement cannot be undertaken during service then post discharge resettlement can be approved which allows for activity to be undertaken up to two years after discharge. If resettlement cannot be undertaken by the individual due to medical reasons then the entitlement can be transferred to a spouse ensuring that at least one family member is able to take advantage.
	The Service Personnel and Veterans Agency only become more directly involved when a decision to discharge is reached. A dedicated welfare support manager, local to the individual, will be appointed and can provide practical help and guidance not only up to their discharge date but for as long as it is needed after leaving.

Armed Forces: Discharges

Andrew Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he next plans to review the operation of the medical discharge system for members of the armed forces; and if he will make a statement.

Kevan Jones: holding answer 8 December 2009
	We take the responsibility for the welfare of our service personnel very seriously and keep the support we provide under continual review. There are currently no plans to review the medical boarding process nor the way in which recommendations made from this process are used to determine whether a member of the armed forces is either retained, re-trained or discharged.

Armed Forces: Health Services

Andrew Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many personnel with each diagnosed condition each service medical board of survey  (a) discharged and  (b) retained in a reduced medical category in each year since 1997.

Kevan Jones: The following table lists those numbers of service personnel that have been discharged as a result of being below the medical standard required for service.
	
		
			   Naval s ervice  Army  Royal Air Force 
			 1997 386 1,062 232 
			 1998 447 1,069 160 
			 1999 445 1,148 178 
			 2000 474 1,063 187 
			 2001 397 1,034 185 
			 2002 377 1,022 137 
			 2003 308 998 251 
			 2004 365 1,084 202 
			 2005 389 1,047 207 
			 2006 347 1,009 241 
			 2007 332 977 227 
			 2008 312 842 189 
		
	
	A detailed breakdown by category of condition has been placed in the Library of the House.
	Information on those service personnel that have been awarded a permanently reduced medical employment standard but retained is not held in the format requested. Decisions on retaining, re-training or discharge are reached by the service manning authorities. However, even when a decision is made that is not to discharge, for example if the medical authorities consider that the condition will improve over time, the individual retains the right to be discharged if they feel their career will be limited. Furthermore, we continue to review those service personnel with a reduced medical employment standard and the employment limitations this may have. It would therefore, be inappropriate to assume that all those with a permanently reduced medical employment standard would remain in that category for the remainder of their career.

Armed Forces: Libraries

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what arrangements for the provision of libraries to the armed forces are required under Queen's Regulations; and what Library services are provided.

Kevan Jones: Queen's Regulations require that Service libraries are to be established to provide a range of books and information in support of operations, education, training, personal development and recreation for members of Her Majesty's forces and entitled civilians.
	Library and information services are delivered through a world-wide network. This includes: education and recreational libraries, academic libraries, defence medical libraries, technical libraries, electronic libraries as well as specialist library services that are able to provide operational support and information relating to current affairs and those of a predominantly military nature.
	As with all libraries, innovative ways have been introduced to reach out to the community. For those Service Personnel, and their families, where a library is not in local reach a full postal service is available which utilises the internal postal service and is free to the user. In some cases opportunities will arise to combine our library services with those of local authorities to mutual benefit, such as at Tidworth Leisure Centre in Wiltshire.

Departmental Contracts

John Leech: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many jobs formerly undertaken by staff of his Department have been outsourced to external companies in each of the last five years; and to which companies.

Kevan Jones: The following table provides the number of MOD civilian staff only that have been transferred to external companies and organisations in each of the last five years.
	
		
			  Financial year  2005-06  2006-07  2007-08  2008-09  2009-10  Total/headcount 
			  MOD (core)   
			 Transfers out due to outsourcing/privatisation 350 620 800 530 170 2,480 
			
			  Trading funds   
			 Transfers out due to outsourcing/privatisation - - 1,040 - 10 1,050 
			
			  Total   
			 Transfers out due to outsourcing/privatisation 350 620 1,840 530 180 3,530 
		
	
	MOD has outsourced and privatised a diverse range of activities in the last five years. This is reflected in the many companies and organisations that staff have transferred to. Although there has been a number of mergers and takeovers between companies in the period, based on the companies' operating name at the time, transfers have been made to:
	Amey Lex
	Aramark
	Atlas
	Babcock Defence Services
	BAE
	Bailey Teswaine
	Bladerunner
	BT
	Carillion
	City of York Council
	Cornwall Airports Ltd.
	Corporate Document Services
	Debut
	Electronic Data Services
	Eurest
	Fleet Support Ltd.
	Fujitsu
	Interserve
	JJ Denholm
	Lockheed Martin
	Mid Kent College
	Modern Housing Solutions
	Plymouth University
	Portsmouth Hospital NHS Trust
	Rolls Royce
	Serco
	Seven Trent Water
	Sodexo
	Soldiers, Sailors and Airman and Families Association
	TQ Education
	Vector Aerospace
	VT
	VT Flagship
	Westland Helicopters

Departmental Manpower

Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many employees in  (a) his Department and  (b) each of its agencies are in transition prior to being managed out; how long on average the transition window between notification and exit has been in (i) his Department and (ii) each of its agencies in each of the last five years; what estimate he has made of the salary costs of staff in transition in each such year; and what proportion of employees in transition were classed as being so for more than six months in each year.

Bob Ainsworth: The information requested is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	My Department manages its surplus staff by using a Redeployment Pool (RDP). This service enables those who are or who will become surplus to be given priority consideration for vacancies. Staff in the RDP usually continue working in their last directorate or are redeployed to cover short-term tasks. As at 1 January 2010, there were 1,525 employees in the RDP. 85 per cent. have been in the RDP for less than six months and only 5 per cent. have been there for more than two years. On average, staff spend six months in the RDP before finding a post or leaving the Department. The majority move into new jobs rather than take early release.

Departmental NDPBs

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence for how many non-departmental bodies his Department is responsible.

Kevan Jones: Information on the number of non-departmental public bodies (NDPBs) sponsored by the Ministry of Defence is published in the annual Cabinet Office report 'Public Bodies 2008', which is available online at the following link:
	www.civilservice.gov.uk/ndpb
	Copies have been placed in the Library of the House. 'Public Bodies 2009' will be published shortly.

Ex-servicemen: Elderly

Stephen Ladyman: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what estimate has he made of the number of former service personnel resident in the UK who are over the age of  (a) 65 and  (b) 80 years.

Kevan Jones: There are currently 99,816 former service personnel aged 65 and over, resident in the United Kingdom (UK), in receipt of an ongoing occupational pension under the Armed Forces Pension Scheme (AFPS). There are 22,071 aged 80 and over; this population is a subset of those aged 65 and over. Former service personnel with no AFPS entitlement, or who have not claimed their entitlement, are not represented in these figures as these are not known.
	The latest data available are as at 30 September 2009, there were 89,675 disablement pensioners resident in the UK aged 65 and over who were in receipt of an ongoing pension under the War Pension Scheme (WPS). There were 48,120 aged 80 and over, this population is a subset of those aged 65 and over. These figures provided have all been rounded to the nearest five.
	Some former service personnel will be in receipt of a pension from both the AFPS and the WPS.

Ex-servicemen: Health

Stephen Ladyman: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what estimate he has made of the number of former service personnel who have been diagnosed with service-related injuries or long-term illnesses in each year since 1992.

Kevan Jones: It is only possible to identify veterans who have a health condition related to their service if they have made a claim and received an award under the relevant compensation scheme. The War Pensions Scheme (WPS) provided no-fault compensation for all ex-service personnel where illness, injury or death was caused by service before 6 April 2005. The Armed Forces and Reserve Forces Compensation Scheme (AFCS) which came into force on 6 April 2005 provided no-fault compensation for injury, illness or death caused by service on or after that date.
	The following data, available only from 2002, provide the number of first time claims against these schemes as the best way of indicating how many personnel were diagnosed with service-related injuries or long-term illness in the time frame requested. They will therefore exclude ongoing payments through these schemes received by personnel diagnosed as suffering from in-service injuries or illness before 2002.
	The following table provides the number of first claims awarded under the WPS by calendar year and by type of award. Ongoing war pensions reflect those who receive a regular pension, gratuity payments are a one off single payment, while nil awards are those that are awarded when it is accepted that a particular disablement is a result of service, yet no monetary compensation is given.
	
		
			   All  Ongoing  Gratuity  Nil 
			 All 46,545 12,140 23,290 11,115 
			 2002(1) 3,870 1,045 1,670 1,155 
			 2003 7,330 1,965 3,310 2,055 
			 2004 6,905 1,755 3,485 1,665 
			 2005 6,820 1,760 3,515 1,545 
			 2006 6,185 1,590 3,170 1,420 
			 2007 5,450 1,485 2,770 1,195 
			 2008 5,775 1,495 3,050 1,225 
			 2009(2) 4,215 1,045 2,320 850 
			 (1) Includes January to September only, data between October and December 2002 cannot be provided in this type of breakdown. (2) Includes January to September only, data between October and December 2009 have not yet been published.  Note: As figures have been rounded to the nearest five, totals may not add due to rounding. 
		
	
	Between 1 November 2005 and 30 September 2009, there were a total of 1,995 individuals awarded under the AFCS who were not in service on 1 January 2010. This is broken down by year as follows:
	
		
			   Awards 
			 2006 200 
			 2007 360 
			 2008 790 
			 2009 445 
		
	
	A total of 195 individuals have been awarded under both schemes.

Military Aircraft: Helicopters

William Cash: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what discussions his predecessor had with the Chancellor of the Exchequer between 2002 and 2004 on the availability of funding for the purchase of military helicopters to be used for future services in Afghanistan; and what the outcome was of each request by his Department for funding to purchase such helicopters in that period.

Bob Ainsworth: UK forces have been in Afghanistan since 2001 but the decision to take on responsibility for Task Force Helmand was not made until early 2006. No discussions were held between 2002 and 2004 with HMT about the specific helicopter requirement to support that mission.

Military Bases: Colchester

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what plans he has to declare any part of Middlewick Ranges, Colchester Garrison, surplus to military requirements.

Kevan Jones: holding answer 29 January 2010
	 Middlewick Ranges is a fully operational firing range. Currently there are no plans to declare any part of the range surplus to military requirements.
	However, as outlined in the Defence Estate Strategy 2006 (In Trust and On Trust) MOD land holdings are kept under continual review in order to take account of changing operational requirements.

Military Bases: Fremington

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what plans his Department has for the future of Fremington Army Camp.

Kevan Jones: In accordance with Government disposal guidelines and as there is no longer a Ministry of Defence requirement for Fremington Camp, the site will be placed on the Homes and Community Agencies surplus public land register. This will determine whether there is any requirement for the site by another Government Department or Agency.
	If there is no Government requirement then the site will be assessed under the Crichel Down rules to determine whether it must be offered back to any former owners. If it does not, the site will be placed on the open market for sale by competition.

Military Bases: Fremington

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will hold discussions with the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change and the North Devon district council on the feasibility of utilising Fremington Army Camp for temporary accommodation during construction of the Atlantic Array offshore wind farm.

Kevan Jones: The accommodation at Fremington Camp is at the end of its economic life. Nevertheless, Ministers or officials of the Ministry of Defence (MOD) would be happy to discuss the utilisation of the site with their counterparts in the Department of Energy and Climate Change, if the MOD was approached.

Ministry of Defence Police: Ministry of Defence Guarding Service Agency

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence for what reasons he plans to separate the Ministry of Defence Police from the Ministry of Defence Guarding Service Agency; and if he will make a statement.

Kevan Jones: There are no plans at present to separate the Ministry of Defence (MOD) Police from the MOD Police and Guarding Agency.

Navy

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what his latest assessment is of the balance of naval power in the  (a) Indian Ocean and  (b) Pacific Ocean.

Bill Rammell: The balance of naval power in both the Indian and Pacific oceans currently leans towards the United States of America, although a range of nations in the region have, or plan to develop, significant maritime capabilities.

Royal Hospital Haslar

Peter Viggers: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence at what price was the Royal Hospital Haslar site sold and to whom; what the acreage of the site sold is; how many houses, flats and other buildings are on the sold site; what due diligence was undertaken prior to the sale; what undertakings were obtained from the prospective purchasers prior to the sale; what other offers and indications of interest were received for the site; what the monetary value of the site was on his Department's accounts prior to the sale; and what limitations and covenants were placed on the site at the time of sale.

Kevan Jones: holding answer 29 January 2010
	The Haslar Hospital site in Gosport, which extends to some 23 hectares and comprises around 75,000 square metres of buildings, was sold to Our Enterprise (Haslar) Ltd. in November 2009 for £3 million. The hon. Member will recall he met with me to discuss the proposals before the sale.
	An Expressions of Interest campaign for the Haslar site was undertaken by Defence Estates in early 2009 and a number of bids were received by the closing date of 3 July. the details of which are confidential, for commercial reasons. The other bids were rejected either on grounds of insufficient detail regarding redevelopment plans for the site, the low level of the offer, or both. Prior to the sale the site was included on the Asset Registers of the Department at some £55 million based on the depreciated replacement cost of the site in its current usage. Such valuations are undertaken for accounting purposes, and are not the same as a market valuation undertaken for disposal.
	Additionally discussions took place with Our Enterprise, with regard to the consortium's financial status and intentions toward the site's heritage assets, memorial garden and future maintenance. No limitations or covenants were placed on the site at the time of sale.

Royal Hospital Haslar

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 18 January 2010,  Official Report, column 16W, on Haslar hospital, how much Our Enterprise (Haslar) Ltd. paid for Haslar hospital.

Kevan Jones: The Haslar hospital site was sold to Our Enterprise (Haslar) Ltd. for £3 million.

Royal Hospital Haslar

Andrew Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence on what dates Ministers met representatives of the organisation Our Enterprise to discuss the future of Haslar Hospital.

Kevan Jones: Ministers have not met with representatives of Our Enterprise.

Somalia: Piracy

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the cost has been to date of operating the Northwood HQ in support of Operation Atalanta; and how much of that cost has been paid by  (a) the UK,  (b) the Athena Mechanism and  (c) other means.

Bob Ainsworth: The local running costs of the EU Operational Headquarters at Northwood, from which Op Atalanta is led, cannot be identified separately within the overall running costs of the Northwood Headquarters. These costs are met by the UK and are not recoverable from the EU.
	The common funded budget for Op Atalanta in 2009-10, which is paid through the Athena mechanism, currently amounts to €17.64 million. The UK's share of these common costs is currently €1.3 million, approximately £1.15 million at today's rate.
	Details of payments towards Op Atalanta by other means are not known to the UK.

Trident Submarines: Finance

Dai Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much has been spent by his Department on the Initial Gate for replacing Trident nuclear submarines.

Bob Ainsworth: Initial Gate is a decision point in the acquisition process. The final spend on reaching Initial Gate cannot be calculated until after that point is reached; however, the total spend on the replacement submarine and associated propulsion system since the beginning of April 2007 to the end of December 2009 is some £380 million.

TREASURY

Financial Services: Regulation

Don Touhig: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what steps he plans to take to improve arrangements for regulation of the financial services sector.

Gordon Banks: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what further steps he plans to take in respect of the regulation of the financial services sector.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: The UK continues to pursue an ambitious regulatory reform agenda at domestic, European and international levels. Firms will have to meet stricter capital and liquidity requirements, including holding more capital against riskier activities, and ensure remuneration practices do not promote excessive risk-taking. The Government are legislating for recovery and resolution plans, which will reduce the likelihood and impact of firms failing.

Maintaining Demand

Jim Sheridan: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what steps he plans to take to maintain the level of demand in the economy in the next 12 months.

Chris Ruane: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what steps he plans to take to maintain the level of demand in the economy in the next 12 months.

Ian Pearson: I refer the hon. Gentleman to the answer I gave the hon. Member for Loughborough (Mr. Reed) on the Floor of the House earlier today.

Credit Availability

David Evennett: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent discussions he has had with representatives of the banking sector on the availability of credit.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: Treasury Ministers and officials have discussions with a wide variety of organisations in the public and private sectors as part of the process of policy development and delivery. As was the case with previous administrations, it is not the Government's practice to provide details of all such discussions.

Equitable Life

Annette Brooke: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent representations he has received on compensation of Equitable Life policyholders; and if he will make a statement.

Liam Byrne: Sir John Chadwick has met with a variety of stakeholders as part of his work. He published his Second Interim report on 16 December 2009.
	The Government are committed to establishing a fair payment scheme as quickly as possible. It expects Sir John to submit his final report in spring 2010, and will announce details of a payment scheme to follow, also in spring 2010.

Fiscal Support: Families

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what fiscal measures he plans to introduce to support families in the next 12 months.

Joan Humble: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what fiscal measures he plans to introduce to support families in the next 12 months.

Stephen Timms: The Government are introducing a range of measures to help families. The child element of the child tax credit will rise by £65 in April 2010, while working tax credit and child benefit will rise by 1.5 per cent. At the same time, tax thresholds will be frozen, offering a real-terms gain for taxpayers. In addition, from September free school meals will start to be extended to primary school pupils in low income working families.

Banks: Regulation

Dai Davies: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will  (a) take steps to establish a ring-fenced fund in each bank in receipt of public funds to provide financial support to the manufacturing sector and  (b) commission research on the implications for levels of greenhouse gas emissions of foreign energy projects involving fossil fuels which have received financing from the Royal Bank of Scotland.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: Government's interests in financial institutions are managed at arm's length by UK Financial Investments Limited (UKFI). UKFI's Framework Agreement with HMT requires it to manage the investments on a commercial basis and not to intervene in day-to-day management decisions of the investee companies.
	In acting as an engaged institutional shareholder, UKFI will follow in full the Institutional Shareholders' Committee's Statement of Principles and take on board industry-wide recommendations or guidance contained in the Walker Review or elsewhere. If it considers that a particular bank's corporate social responsibility policies, including its environmental policies, are likely to have a negative effect on the value of the bank and its shares, we would expect UKFI to intervene, in order to protect the value of its holding.
	As part of the lending agreements linked to their participation in the Asset Protection Scheme, RBS announced on the 14 January that they would provide a manufacturing fund of £1 billion to support the manufacturing sector. This fund will provide loans between £250,000 and £25 million to any firm in the manufacturing sector.

Child Tax Credit

William Bain: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many families in each  (a) region and (b) parliamentary constituency are in receipt of child tax credits; and how many such households have an income of (a) less than £20,000, (b) between £20,000 and £30,000, (c) between £30,000 and £40,000, (d) between £40,000 and £50,000 and (e) more than £50,000.

Stephen Timms: The latest information on the number of families receiving child tax credit by Government office region and parliamentary constituency is available in the HM Revenue and Customs' (HMRC) snapshot publication 'Child and Working Tax Credits Statistics. Geographical Analyses. December 2009', available at:
	http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/stats/personal-tax-credits/cwtc-geog-stats.htm
	The latest information on the number of families receiving child tax credit, in each of the specified bands of income used to taper awards, is available in the HMRC snapshot publication 'Child and Working Tax Credits Statistics December 2009', available at:
	http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/stats/personal-tax-credits/cwtc-quarterly-stats.htm

Child Trust Fund

William Bain: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many households in each  (a) region and  (b) parliamentary constituency have a child trust fund; and how many such households have an annual income of (a) less than £20,000, (b) between £20,000 and £29,999, (c) between £30,000 and £39,999, (d) between £40,000 and £49,999 and (e) £50,000 or more.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: The latest statistical information on Child Trust Fund accounts, including regional and constituency level data, can be viewed on HM Revenue and Customs' website:
	http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/ctf/stats.htm
	The information requested about the annual incomes of households that have children with Child Trust Funds is not available.

Child Trust Fund

William Bain: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many families with at least one disabled child have received a child trust fund payment.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: From this April payments will start to be made into the Child Trust Fund accounts of all disabled children who are entitled to disability living allowance (DLA). We currently estimate that around 85,000 children have a Child Trust Fund and are entitled to DLA.

Child Trust Fund

Stephen Hepburn: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  what average payment has been made into child trust fund accounts by parents in  (a) Jarrow constituency,  (b) South Tyneside,  (c) the North East and  (d) the UK in each year since the scheme's inception;
	(2)  how many children have been eligible to receive a child trust fund voucher in  (a) Jarrow constituency,  (b) South Tyneside,  (c) the North East and  (d) the UK in each year since the scheme's inception;
	(3)  how many child trust fund vouchers have been  (a) issued and  (b) used by parents to open an account in (i) Jarrow constituency, (ii) South Tyneside, (iii) the North East and (iv) the UK in each year since the scheme's inception.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: All children born since 1 September 2002 that live in the UK and are not subject to immigration controls are eligible for a Child Trust Fund. If the child's parents or guardians do not open an account within a year HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) will open one for them, thereby ensuring that all eligible children get a Child Trust Fund account.
	Statistical information regarding the Child Trust Fund is published on HMRC's website at:
	http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/ctf/stats.htm
	The latest package of information was published on 4 November 2009 and included data on Child Trust Fund eligibility, voucher issue, take-up and parental contributions at United Kingdom, parliamentary constituency, regional and local authority level for children born by 5 April 2008. The website also contains statistical information relating to previous years.

Departmental NDPBs

Bob Spink: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer for how many non-departmental public bodies his Department is responsible.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: Details of HM Treasury's arm's-length bodies can be found in HM Treasury's Annual Report and Accounts. Copies of the Annual Report and Accounts can be found on HM Treasury's Website and in the Library of the House.

Excise Duties: Beer

Paul Rowen: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  what estimate his Department has made of the proportion of beer sold in the UK without the payment of value added tax and excise duty;
	(2)  what estimate he has made of the amount of revenue lost to the Exchequer through the non-payment of value added tax and excise duty on beer in each year from 2001.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: The Department has an internal estimate for revenue losses due to fraud in beer. For 2006-07 estimated losses from beer give a range of between £270 million and £490 million in respect of duty and £120 million to £220 million in respect of VAT. This corresponds to a market share of between 7 and 12 per cent. No estimate currently exists for any other financial year. The methodology is still under development and therefore this estimate may be revised.

Fiscal Policy

Dai Davies: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the written ministerial statement of 19 January 2010,  Official Report, column 6WS, on the Draft Code for Fiscal Stability, what definition of transparency was used for the purposes of the Draft Code for Fiscal Stability; and for what reasons the requirements for economic and fiscal projections referred to at paragraph 42 of that code do not refer to reporting requirements relating to the projected financial effects on climate change under the Climate Change Act 2009.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: Transparency is defined in paragraph 6 of the draft Code for Fiscal Stability which is available in the Library of the House.
	Paragraph 42 of the draft Code sets out the minimum reporting requirements for the economic and fiscal projections. Paragraph 45 of the draft Code makes clear that such projections, so far as is reasonably practicable, should be based on all Government decisions which have a material impact on the fiscal outlook. This includes the decisions relating to the implementation of the Climate Change Act 2008.

Income Tax: Tax Allowances

Phyllis Starkey: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the system of income tax allowances.

Stephen Timms: The Government keep the tax system under review to ensure it is modern and efficient and that everyone pays their fair share of tax to support valuable public services. Personal income tax allowances will be maintained at their current levels in 2010-11, providing a real terms benefit relative to September's Retail Price Index.

Income Tax: Tax Rates and Bands

Chloe Smith: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the cost to the Exchequer of reintroducing the 10 pence rate of income tax on the first £2,000 of taxable income in each fiscal year from 2010-11 to 2013-14.

Stephen Timms: holding answer 28 January 2010
	Estimates of reintroducing the 10p rate of income tax on the first £2,000 of taxable income in each fiscal year from 2010-11 to 2013-14 is provided in the following table.
	
		
			   Cost (£ million) 
			 2010-11 5,500 
			 2011-12 5,600 
			 2012-13 5,700 
			 2013-14 5,800 
		
	
	The estimates are based on the 2006-07 Survey of Personal Incomes projected forward in line with the 2009 pre-Budget report assumptions. The figures exclude any estimate of behavioural response.

Inheritance Tax: Eltham

Clive Efford: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  how many estates in Eltham constituency paid inheritance tax in each of the last five years;
	(2)  how many estates in Eltham constituency would have been required to pay inheritance tax had the threshold been set at  (a) £325,000 and  (b) £1 million in each of the last five years.

Stephen Timms: Information on inheritance tax data at a constituency level is not available as postcodes are frequently missing from completed inheritance tax returns.

Lehman Brothers: Insolvency

Jim Cousins: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what steps he has taken to support the claim of UK-based creditors against the US parent company of Lehman Brothers.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: holding answer 26 January 2010
	The administration of the Lehman Brothers group, including its UK and US subsidiaries, is a matter for the courts and the court-appointed administrators in the relevant jurisdictions. It would be inappropriate for the Government to intervene in independent, court-governed proceedings such as these. Where UK-based creditors have a claim against any part of the Lehman Brothers group, it is appropriate for them to present this claim to the administrators of the relevant entity in the appropriate jurisdiction.

National Debt

Stephen Hammond: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent estimate he has made of the present and future level of the UK budget deficit compared to other G20 economies; and if he will make a statement.

Liam Byrne: I refer the hon. Gentleman to the answer I gave on the Floor of the House earlier today to the hon. Member for West Suffolk (Mr. Spring).

PAYE

Ian Liddell-Grainger: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  how many P14 returns had to be processed manually in  (a) 2006,  (b) 2007,  (c) 2008 and  (d) 2009;
	(2)  what criteria are used to define a pay-as-you-earn case as a complicated case which requires manual processing;
	(3)  on how many databases the HM Revenue and Customs pay-as-you-earn computer systems operate by the end of the pay as you earn modernisation process.

Stephen Timms: The majority of employers now provide PAYE end of year information electronically, which does not require manual processing, and from 2009-10, with a few exceptions, all employers will have to do so.
	Manual processing is required where an employer annual return is filed on paper. Whether an employer PAYE case is 'complicated' is not a factor in whether the employer annual return requires manual processing. The information requested is provided in the following table.
	
		
			   Employer annual returns received and processed manually 
			 2005-06 3,798,120 
			 2006-07 3,413,174 
			 2007-08 2,039,303 
			 2008-09 1,766,424 
		
	
	In July 2009 HM Revenue and Customs introduced one single, national computer system (the National Insurance and PAYE Service) to replace the Computerisation of PAYE (COP) computer system that had handled PAYE for 20 years. The National Insurance and PAYE Service brings together all individuals' PAYE details onto one database, instead of the former 12 COP databases.

Revenue and Customs

Vincent Cable: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  what plans there are to outsource welfare support for staff of HM Revenue and Customs;
	(2)  what assessment his Department has made of the value for money provided by the welfare support services operating within HM Revenue and Customs.

Stephen Timms: HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) is committed to achieving significant reductions in its running costs year on year for the foreseeable future.
	In relation to the Department's Business and People Support Service, which employs 37 staff to provide an in-house welfare service, HMRC has concluded that it requires a different type of service to be commissioned because:
	current facilities do not provide the 24 hour/7 days a week service available commercially;
	the external market is well-established, with cost-effective and high-quality provision available from a range of providers; and
	there are both cost and service advantages in joining with DWP and other Government Departments and public sector organisations (around 35 in total) who use an outsourced provider.
	HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) is therefore proposing to outsource its welfare services and has joined the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) and other departments in a tendering exercise.
	Joining DWP in a contract involving up to three hundred thousand staff is likely to offer large economies of scale and substantial financial savings, in November 2009, DWP issued an invitation to tender, which closed on 15 January 2010. Evaluation of responses to the tender is underway including a full financial and value for money review of in-house and potential outsourced service options.

Smuggling: Alcoholic Drinks

Vincent Cable: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate his Department has made of the loss of revenue to the Exchequer resulting from illicit alcohol sales in the last 12 months.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: I refer the hon. Gentleman to the answer I gave the hon. Member for Sheffield, Hillsborough (Ms Smith) on 1 December 2009,  Official Report, column 599W.

Smuggling: Northern Ireland

David Simpson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many people were  (a) prosecuted and  (b) convicted of illegal trading in (i) cigarettes, (ii) spirits, (iii) diesel, (iv) petrol and (v) counterfeit goods in Northern Ireland in each of the last two years.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: Details of convictions relating to cigarette and alcohol offences are published in the HM Revenue and Customs Departmental Autumn Performance Report for all of the United Kingdom. It is not possible to disaggregate these figures on a regional basis.
	The number of prosecutions brought for oils offences in Northern Ireland is not reported.
	Details of convictions relating to all types of oils offences for Northern Ireland are recorded and reported separately in the HMRC Departmental Autumn Performance Report.
	Prosecution of persons detected importing counterfeit goods is the responsibility of the United Kingdom Border Agency.

Smuggling: Tobacco

Jim Cousins: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will estimate  (a) the number and monetary value of cigarettes and  (b) quantity of hand-rolled tobacco HM Revenue and Customs seized in each region in (i) 2006-07, (ii) 2007-08 and (iii) 2008-09.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: Location-specific statistics are not published as this would provide information of value to those seeking to circumvent controls, thereby prejudicing the prevention and detection of crime. However, HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) and UK Border Agency seizure statistics are available for England, Scotland, Ireland and Wales.
	The following tables provide:
	the quantities seized;
	the monetary value of the seizures; and
	the revenue value of the seizures.
	
		
			  1. HMRC cigarette seizures, 2006-07 to 2008-09 
			  Country  Data  2006-07  2007-08  2008-09 
			 England Quantity (million) 1,305 1,062 924 
			  Goods value (£ million) 43 34 30 
			  Tax value (£ million) 237 200 172 
			  
			 Northern Ireland Quantity (million) 7 5 22 
			  Goods value (£ million) 0 0 1 
			  Tax value (£ million) 1 1 4 
			  
			 Scotland Quantity (million) 13 12 6 
			  Goods value (£ million) 0 0 0 
			  Tax value (£ million) 2 2 1 
			 Wales Quantity (million) 3 3 29 
			  Goods value (£ million) 0 0 1 
			  Tax value (£ million) 1 0 5 
			  
			 Total Quantity (million) 1,328 1,082 981 
			  Goods value (£ million) 44 35 32 
			  Tax value (£ million) 241 204 183 
		
	
	
		
			  2. HMRC hand-rolling tobacco seizures, 2006-07 to 2008-09 
			  Country  Data  2006-07  2007-08  2008-09 
			 England Quantity (tonnes) 222 190 250 
			  Goods value (£ million) 20 17 24 
			  Tax value (£ million) 29 29 41 
			  
			 Northern Ireland Quantity (tonnes) 1 1 1 
			  Goods value (£ million) 0.06 0.05 0.10 
			  Tax value (£ million) 0.08 0.07 0.16 
			  
			 Scotland Quantity (tonnes) 3 3 5 
			  Goods value (£ million) 0.28 0.26 0.51 
			  Tax value (£ million) 0.40 0.35 0.73 
			  
			 Wales Quantity (tonnes) 1 1 1 
			  Goods value (£ million) 0.09 0.09 0.12 
			  Tax value (£ million) 0.12 0.12 0.17 
			  
			  
			 Total Quantity (tonnes) 227 194 258 
			  Goods value (£ million) 21 18 24 
			  Tax value (£ million 29 30 42 
		
	
	All of these statistics should also be considered in the context of the overall UK illicit market share for cigarettes, which has been cut from over 20 per cent. in the early part of this decade, to 10 per cent. according to the latest published estimates for 2007-08.

Welfare Tax Credits: Bexley

David Evennett: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many complaints have been made against the Tax Credits Office by residents in the London borough of Bexley in each of the last five years.

Stephen Timms: The information requested is not available at local authority level.
	Information about the number of complaints handled by the different HM Revenue and Customs' business areas, including tax credits, is broken down in the annexes of the departmental reports available at:
	www.hmrc.gov.uk/about/reports.htm
	Numbers of new complaints on tax credits from April to December 2009-10 are more than 40 per cent. lower compared to the same period in 2008-09.

HEALTH

Arthritis: Drugs

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health with reference to the Prime Minister's press conference of 25 January 2010, what steps he plans to take to ensure full investigation of RoActemra.

Mike O'Brien: The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) is developing technology appraisal guidance on the use of RoActemra for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis. NICE'S technology appraisal guidance is based on a thorough assessment of the available evidence and is developed through a robust process which includes public consultation.

Autism: Health Services

Paul Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he plans to publish the Adult Autism Strategy.

Phil Hope: The legislation mandates a timeframe for the publication of the strategy by 1 April 2010.
	We will be publishing the strategy in advance of this date.

Autism: Health Services

Andrew MacKinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what steps will be taken to ensure that the Autism Strategy meets the criteria and recommendations contained in the National Audit Office's report on Supporting people with autism through adulthood, HC (2008-09) 556; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  if he will publish the Autism Strategy required under the Autism Act 2009 in April 2010; and if he will issue all statutory guidance to local authorities and health bodies required by the Act by December 2010.

Phil Hope: The Government have made clear that we will publish the Adult Autism Strategy before April 2010 and will consult on, and publish before end December 2010, the guidance required under the Autism Act 2009.
	In developing this strategy, the Government have taken account of the findings and recommendations set out in the National Audit Office (NAO) as well as the subsequent Report of the Public Accounts Committee. Officials have met with representatives of the NAO. We will address the NAO's recommendations through the strategy, the accompanying delivery plan and guidance.

Autism: Health Services

Alison Seabeck: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what level of  (a) training and  (b) qualifications will be required by professionals working with adults with autism in the forthcoming Adult Autism Strategy.

Phil Hope: The provision of personalised services for adults with autism will depend on the development of increased awareness and understanding of autism across all public services.
	We are committing to working with professional bodies, the Royal Colleges and other organisations to ensure that effective training is developed and delivered to achieve that aim.

Cancer

Justine Greening: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the survival rate was of cancer patients aged  (a) under 75 years old and  (b) 75 years and older, of each cancer type (i) nationally, (ii) in each region and (iii) in each primary care trust in London in each of the last five years.

Angela Smith: I have been asked to reply.
	The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	 Letter from Stephen Penneck, dated 28 January 2010:
	.
	ONS calculates one- and five-year cancer survival rates for men and women aged 15-99, but not for specific age-groups.
	The latest available one and five-year survival rates for (i) England, for 21 common cancers for patients diagnosed in 2001-2006 and followed up to the end of 2007, are available on the National Statistics website at:
	http://www.statistics.gov.uk/StatBase/Product.asp?vlnk=14007
	Comparable survival rates for England for each preceding five year period back to 1998-2001 and followed up to 2003 can also be downloaded from this link.
	The latest one- and five-year survival rates for eight common cancers by (ii) government office region and strategic health authority, for patients diagnosed in 1997-1999 and followed up to the end of 2004, are available on the National Statistics website at:
	http://www.statistics.gov.uk/statbase/Product.asp?vlnk=11991
	Comparable survival rates by government office region and strategic health authority for each preceding five year period back to 1994-1996 and followed up to 2001 can also be downloaded from this link.
	ONS does not produce cancer survival rates for (iii) primary care trusts. However, one-year survival figures for three cancers (breast, colorectal and lung) by primary care organisation, have recently been published by the Department of Health in the second annual report of the Cancer Reform Strategy. The report can be downloaded from this link.
	http://www.dh.gov.uk/en/Publicationsandstatistics/Publications/PublicationsPolicyAndGuidance/DH_109338

Chapel Allerton Hospital: Manpower

Fabian Hamilton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many  (a) doctors and  (b) nurses were employed at Chapel Allerton Hospital, Leeds in (i) 1997 and (ii) 2009.

Ann Keen: The information is not available in the format requested. However, the following table shows the number of doctors and qualified nursing staff employed in the Leeds Teaching Hospitals National Health Service Trust for the dates shown.
	
		
			  NHS  Hospital  a nd Community Health Service s (HCHS) doctors and qualified nursing staff in the Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust as at 30 September each year 
			  Headcount 
			   1997  2008 
			 HCHS doctors 1,298 1,768 
			 Qualified nursing staff 4,390 4,498 
			  Notes: 1. In 1998 St James's and Seacroft University Hospital NHS Trust and United Leeds Teaching Hospital NHS Trust merged to form Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust. Figures for 1997 are an aggregate of these predecessor organisations. 2. Data quality: Work force statistics are compiled from data sent by more than 300 NHS trusts and primary care trusts in England. The Information Centre for health and social care liaises closely with these organisations to encourage submission of complete and valid data and seeks to minimise inaccuracies and the effect of missing and invalid data. Processing methods and procedures are continually being updated to improve data quality. Where this happens any impact on figures already published will be assessed but unless this is significant at national level they will not be changed. Where there is impact only at detailed or local level this will be footnoted in relevant analyses.  Sources: The Information Centre for health and social care Medical and Dental Workforce Census The Information Centre for health and social care Non-Medical Workforce Census

Chorley

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will set out, with statistical information as closely related to Chorley constituency as possible, the effect on that constituency of the policies of his Department since 1997.

Ann Keen: The Government have put in place a programme of national health service investment and reform since 1997 to improve service delivery in all parts of the United Kingdom. 93 per cent. of people nationally now rate the NHS as good or excellent. The NHS Constitution contains 25 rights and 14 pledges for patients and the public including new rights to be treated within 18 weeks, or be seen by a cancer specialist within two weeks and a NHS Health Check every five years for those aged 40-74 years.
	There is significant evidence that these policies have yielded considerable benefits for the Chorley constituency. For example:
	Figures for November 2009 show that in Central Lancashire Primary Care Trust (PCT):
	94 per cent, of patients whose treatment involved admission to hospital started their treatment within 18 weeks.
	97 per cent, of patients whose treatment did not involve admission to hospital started their treatment within 18 weeks.
	In September 2009, at the Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, 98.6 per cent of patients spent less than four hours in accident and emergency from arrival to admission, transfer or discharge.
	Between September 2002 and September 2008, the number of consultants at the Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust has increased from 167 to 238. Between September 2002 and September 2008 the estimated number of nurses has increased from 1,915 to 2,161.
	Between March 2008 and March 2009, the number of NHS dentists within the Central Lancashire PCT has increased from 222 to 252.
	93.0 per cent, of urgent general practitioner (GP) referrals to the Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust with suspected cancer are seen by a specialist within two weeks of the referral.
	Central Lancashire PCT opened its GP-led health centre on 1 December 2009 at the Ormskirk and District General Hospital. The £3 million state-of-the-art health centre will also provide a GP out of hours service and NHS dental services. The centre will offer longer opening hours, meaning that any member of the public will be able to see a GP or nurse between 8am and 8pm, seven days a week, 365 days a year. It also provides a drop-in advice and treatment for minor injuries and ailments every day of the week from 8am to 10pm.
	A publicly funded £40 million maternity and gynaecological unit opened at the Royal Preston Hospital in 2004. In addition, a new £2 million assessment and treatment service became operational at the Chorley and South Ribble Hospital in April 2008. The service enables patients who have to be referred to hospital to have their assessment, diagnosis, and where possible treatment at a one stop shop to speed up their care.
	Although statistical information is not available at a local level, Chorley will have also benefited from national policies in other areas. For example:
	Since 1997, gross current expenditure on personal social services has increased by around 70 per cent. in real terms, with around 105,000 households now receiving intensive home care and 3,076 new extra care housing units-exceeding the original target of 1,500 new extra care units.
	Other strategies currently being implemented are:
	Subject to parliamentary approval, the Personal Care at Home Bill will guarantee free personal care for 280,000 people with the highest needs and help around 130,000 people who need home care for the first time to regain their independence.
	Shaping the Future of Care Together Green Paper, published in July 2009, sets out a vision of a National Care Service for all adults in England that is fair, simple and affordable. The Department has consulted widely on this reform and is currently analysing the responses, which will feed into a White Paper later this year.
	The National Carer's Strategy-Carers at the heart of 21st century families and communities-launched in 2008.
	The first National Dementia Strategy was published in February 2009.
	Valuing People Now-a three year strategy for people with learning disabilities-was published in January 2009.
	New Horizons: A Shared Vision for Mental Health was launched in December 2009 to maintain improvements in mental health services, combined with a new cross-Government approach to promoting public mental health.
	Since 1998, there are now 2.4 million fewer smokers in England as a result of the Government's comprehensive tobacco control strategy, which has a measurable impact on reducing smoking prevalence.
	Child obesity levels are reducing due to the efforts of families across England, supported by the Government's obesity strategy. In 2008, 13.9 per cent, of children (aged two to 10) in England were classified as obese, compared with 17.3 per cent. in 2005.
	Overall, life expectancy at birth for men has increased from 74.5 years (1995-1997 data) to 77.7 years (2006-08 data) while for women, life expectancy at birth has increased from 79.6 years (1995-97 data) to 81.9 years (2006-08 data).

Dementia: Drugs

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  with reference to the report for the Minister of State for Care Services on the use of antipsychotic medication for people with dementia, what progress his Department has made on agreeing explicit goals for the size and speed of the reduction of the use of antipsychotic medication and for the improvement in the use of such drugs where needed; and whether any such goals have been agreed;
	(2)  with reference to the report for the Minister of State for Care Services on the use of antipsychotic medication for people with dementia, what progress has been made on developing an audit to generate data on the use of antipsychotic medication for people with dementia;
	(3)  with reference to the report for the Minister of State for Care Services on the use of antipsychotic medication for people with dementia, what the role of the National Clinical Director for Dementia will be; what the salary is for that post; and what objectives have been set for that post;
	(4)  with reference to the report for the Minister of State for Care Services on the use of antipsychotic medication for people with dementia, what steps he has taken to make the reduction of the use of antipsychotic drugs for people with dementia and the assurance of good practice a clinical governance priority across the NHS;
	(5)  with reference to the report for the Minister of State for Care Services on the use of antipsychotic medication for people with dementia, what mechanisms he has put in place to facilitate liaison between specialist older people's mental health services and general practitioners to address the issue of people with dementia in their own homes who are on antipsychotic medication;
	(6)  with reference to the report for the Minister of State for Care Services on the use of antipsychotic medication for people with dementia, what steps he has taken to ensure that the improving access to psychological therapies programme delivers therapies to people with dementia and their carers;
	(7)  with reference to the report for the Minister of State for Care Services on the use of antipsychotic medication for people with dementia, what steps his Department has taken to enable the Care Quality Commission to implement rates of prescription of antipsychotic medication for people with dementia;
	(8)  with reference to the report for the Minister of State for Care Services on the use of antipsychotic medication for people with dementia, what progress his Department has made on giving primary care trusts the resources and mandate to commission from local specialist older people's mental health services an in-reach service that supports primary care in its work in care homes; and how many primary care trusts commission such in-reach services;
	(9)  with reference to the report for the Minister of State for Care Services on the use of antipsychotic medication for people with dementia, what steps his Department has taken to support the Royal Colleges in developing a curriculum for the development of appropriate skills for general practitioners and others working in care homes; and whether any college has implemented such a curriculum.

Phil Hope: The Department has recently appointed a national clinical director (NCD) for dementia. The NCD for dementia will promote clinical and professional engagement in the design and management of services and ensure that clinicians, professionals and managers working in acute, community and primary care health services and social care are actively engaged in transforming dementia services and health outcomes for people with dementia and their carers. The NCD will also lead on implementing the recommendations of the review of the prescribing of anti-psychotics drugs for people with dementia.
	National and local progress on addressing the conclusions of the review report will be monitored through the National Dementia Strategy Implementation Board responsible for delivery and implementation of the National Dementia Strategy.
	Improving access to psychological therapies (IAPT) services are open to all those over the age of 18 with a diagnosis of mental ill health, depression or anxiety disorders, irrespective of co-morbidity. Commissioners are required to consider services for older adults as an integral element of their overall service provision. Guidance on this issue was published in October 2008 on the IAPT Commissioning Toolkit. NHS commissioners and service providers need to respond to local need and forge links with appropriate existing services for this client group.
	Further work to identify how IAPT services established so far have met the needs of various client groups, including older adults, will be undertaken in the coming months as a full data review and equalities review will be concluded by the IAPT National Programme Team.

Dementia: Drugs

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health with reference to the report for the Minister of State for Care Services on the use of antipsychotic medication for people with dementia, what steps his Department has taken to commission further research into assessing the clinical and cost effectiveness of non-pharmacological methods of treating behavioural problems in dementia and other pharmacological approaches as an alternative to antipsychotic medication; what research projects on such matters have received funding from the NHS research budget in the last 12 months; and how much funding each such project received from that budget.

Phil Hope: The Ministerial Group on Dementia Research I have set up will assess the progress made with and help galvanise research into alternatives to antipsychotic medication. It will work to increase capacity in dementia research and help more research proposals successfully access the available funding.
	The Group will hold its first meeting on 24 February 2010.

Dental Services

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  how many primary care trusts are expected to meet the target of providing access to NHS dentistry to all patients who are seeking it by March 2011;
	(2)  what steps he is taking to ensure that all primary care trusts meet the target of providing access to NHS dentistry to all patients by March 2011.

Ann Keen: The commitment to ensuring access to national health service dental care for all who actively seek it by March 2011 was made by strategic health authorities in January 2009.
	The NHS is investing in new dental services and working with existing providers on better ways of working to increase access. All primary care trusts (PCTs) have delivery plans in place. Access is rising steadily. Access rose in each of the last five quarters and the latest figures show NHS dentists saw 939,000 more patients in the 24 months ending September 2009 than in the same period ending June 2008.
	To support the NHS in delivering its commitment the Department has increased total central funding available to the NHS for primary care dentistry to a total of over £2 billion and set up a national dental access programme. The programme, headed by Dr. Mike Warburton, has been working closely with PCTs over the last year to support them in expanding access.

Departmental Billing

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the average length of time taken by  (a) his Department and  (b) its agencies to pay invoices from (i) small and medium-sized enterprises and (ii) all creditors in the last 12 months.

Phil Hope: The Department and its agencies do not differentiate between small and medium sized enterprises and other creditors. It is the intention of the Department and its agencies to pay all suppliers within 10 days of receipt of a valid invoice regardless of their size.
	In December 2009, the most recent month for which figures are available, the Department paid 95.43 per cent. of valid invoices within this 10-day target.

Departmental Travel

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will publish the travel guidance issued to staff of each of his Department's agencies and non-departmental public bodies.

Phil Hope: Guidance on travel and subsistence for staff of the Department's agency is based on Chapter 8 of the Civil Service Management Code. This document is also available on the civil service website at:
	www.civilservice.gov.uk/about/resources/csmc/index.aspx
	The Department's non-departmental public bodies provide guidance to their staff on travel and subsistence as part of their staff codes and rules of business conduct. Details of this guidance should be sought from the individual bodies:
	 Alcohol Education and Research Council (AERC)
	Eliot House (EH 1.4)
	10-12 Allington Street
	London
	SW1E 5EH
	www.aerc.org.uk
	 Appointments Commission (AC)
	Ground Floor
	Blenheim House
	Duncombe Street
	West 1
	Leeds
	LSI 4PL
	www.appointments.org.uk
	 Care Quality Commission (CQC)
	Citygate
	Gallowgate
	Newcastle upon Tyne
	NE1 4PA
	www.cqc.org.uk
	 Council for Healthcare Regulatory Excellence (CHRE)
	1st Floor
	Kierran Cross
	11 Strand
	London
	WC2N 5HR
	www.chre.org.uk
	 General Social Care Council (GSCC)
	Goldings House
	2 Hay's Lane
	London
	SW1 2HB
	www.gscc.org.uk
	 Health Protection Agency (HPA)
	7th Floor
	Holborn Gate
	330 High Holborn
	London
	WC1V 7PP
	www.hpa.org.uk
	 Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA)
	21 Bloomsbury Street
	London
	WC1B 3HF
	www.hfea.gov.uk
	 Human Tissue Authority (HTA)
	Finlaison House
	15-17 Furnival Street
	London
	EC4A 1AB
	www.hta.gov.uk
	 Monitor
	4 Matthew Parker Street
	London
	SW1H 9NL
	www.monitor-nhsft.gov.uk
	 Postgraduate Medical Education and Training Board (PMETB)
	Hercules House
	Hercules Road
	London
	SE1 7DU
	www.pmetb.org.uk

Health Services: Armenia

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the number of  (a) Armenian nationals treated by the NHS and  (b) UK nationals treated in Armenia under reciprocal healthcare obligations in the last 12 months; and what the estimated cost was in each such case.

Gillian Merron: In the last 12 months, there have been no patient referrals from Armenia to the United Kingdom, incurring no costs. The agreement does not provide for referrals from the United Kingdom to Armenia. Under the agreement, nationals of Armenia and the United Kingdom can access emergency state health care in each country, however no reimbursements are sought from either country for treatment provided, and so the data relating to this is not collected centrally.

Healthier Food Mark

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  how much his Department has spent on the Healthier Food Mark scheme; and how much it has paid to Deloitte for its evaluation of the pilot stage of that scheme;
	(2)  by what mechanisms he plans to evaluate the effectiveness of the use of the Healthier Food Mark scheme for the purposes of deciding whether to make use of that scheme mandatory in 2012, as referred to in the Cabinet Office Strategy Unit report on Food Matters of July 2008.

Gillian Merron: To date the Department has spent £788,000 on the Healthier Food Mark project over two years including the contract for Deloittes, who have been running the extensive phase 1 pilots involving 50 organisations.
	As detailed in Food Matters, the intention remains to establish the Healthier Food Mark for the public sector as a voluntary scheme until 2012. Once established, we will review how the Healthier Food Mark has been received, the level of take up across the public sector and whether it is delivering on its objectives to make public sector food healthier and more sustainable. A decision to consider the case of making the Healthier Food Mark mandatory would need to be based on the answers to any such review and a detailed impact assessment.

Home Care Services

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health in which constituencies the Personal Care at Home Bill engagement events will be held.

Phil Hope: There are three stakeholder engagement events planned to accompany the Personal Care at Home consultation on regulations and guidance, which will be enabled by the Bill. Two of these have taken place, in the City of London and Westminster, with a third due to take place in the constituency of Salford, Manchester, on 5 February 2010.

Home Care Services

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will place in the Library a copy of versions 1 to 8 of the impact assessment for the Personal Care at Home Bill.

Phil Hope: Versions 1 to 8 of the impact assessment for the Personal Care at Home Bill are working drafts. As such, they will not be placed in the Library, as they are part of the standard formulation of Government policy.

Hospital Wards

Derek Twigg: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many single rooms there will be in new hospitals opening in 2010; and how many there are in hospitals which they are to replace.

Ann Keen: The Department collects data on the proportion of single rooms in new national health service hospitals opened since 2003 with a capital value of over £25 million. Information on schemes opening in 2010 is contained in the table.
	Information is not collected centrally on facilities that have been replaced as a result of new hospital schemes. All schemes with a capital value over £25 million have met the Department's 2001 guidance, which stated that the proportion of single rooms in new hospital developments should aim to be 50 per cent. but should not fall below 20 per cent. and must be higher than the facilities they are replacing. The policy and design guidance for the provision of single rooms in mental health accommodation is 100 per cent.
	Each trust makes an informed choice regarding the appropriate percentage of single room provision based on practical considerations such as site restrictions, affordability as well as clinical and operational limitations.
	
		
			  New hospital facilities costing over £25 million opening in 2010 
			  NHS organisation  Scheme description  Capital value  (£ million)  Proportion of beds in single rooms (percentage) 
			 St. Helens and Knowsley Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust(St Helen's Diagnostic and Treatment Unit opened October 2008; Whiston Hospital due to open April 2010) Development of St. Helen's Hospital (Diagnostic and Treatment Unit) and Whiston Hospital (Acute hospital services) 338 50 
			 
			 Tees, Esk and Wear Valley NHS Foundation Trust/Wear Valleys NHS Trust Replacement of St. Luke's hospital offering general and forensic mental health services 75 100 
			 
			 Walsall Hospitals NHS Trust Improving children's services and provision of primary care centres 169 48 
			 
			 University Hospital Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust/Birmingham and Solihull Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust Single site hospital to replace Selly Oak and Queen Elizabeth Hospitals and provide a new mental health unit (joint scheme with Birmingham and Solihull Mental Health) 627 (1)50 
			   - (2)100 
			 
			 Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust Mental Health Facilities 35 100 
			 
			 Pennine Acute Hospitals NHS Trust Women's and Children's Unit 29 37 
			 (1) Overall (2) Mental health facility

In Vitro Fertilisation

Michael Fallon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what guidance his Department provides to primary care trusts on whether they should fund IVF treatment in cases where a husband or partner has a child or children from a previous relationship.

Gillian Merron: Decisions on access criteria for national health service-funded in vitro fertilisation (IVF) treatment are made locally by individual primary care trusts (PCTs), taking into account local considerations.
	The fertility guideline published in 2004 by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) makes recommendations about the clinical criteria for access to NHS-funded fertility treatment. To support PCTs in working towards the implementation of the NICE guideline and more equitable provision, the Government funded the leading fertility patient support group, Infertility Network UK (IN UK), to draw up standard access criteria as a guideline. The Standardised Infertility Access Criteria were published by IN UK in June 2009, alongside a guide for commissioners in developing their services.
	The Access Criteria recommend that PCTs should move towards a position where funding is available for those who do not have a living child, including couples where one partner is childless. It also explains that as investment in fertility services increases, funding may be available for IVF where both partners have a child/children from a pervious relationship, but not from the current relationship.

Kidney Patients: Health Services

Richard Benyon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  if he will take steps to  (a) increase the level of monitoring of NHS performance on the diagnosis and treatment of acute kidney injury and  (b) implement a code to identify and audit the (i) incidence of and (ii) outcomes associated with acute kidney injury;
	(2)  if he will take steps to facilitate joint working and commissioning by acute care and renal medicine services to ensure the rapid diagnosis of acute kidney injury.

Ann Keen: The Department is bringing together a range of organisations with a key role to play in delivering improvements in the prevention, detection and management of acute kidney injury. The National Clinical Director for Kidney Care, Donal O'Donoghue, set out in his letter of 16 December to the Chief Executive of the National Confidential Enquiry into Outcome and Patient Deaths the actions which will be taken at a national level to improve the detection and management of acute kidney injury and a copy of this has been placed in the Library.

Lung Disease: Health Services

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the cost to the NHS was of treating non-UK residents for lung disease in each of the last five years.

Gillian Merron: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 1 February 2010,  Official Report, column 57W.

Musgrove Park Hospital Taunton

Ian Liddell-Grainger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  how much was spent on public relations at Musgrove Park hospital, Taunton in the last 12 months;
	(2)  how many staff are employed in the public relations department at Musgrove Park hospital, Taunton;
	(3)  how many avoidable deaths have occurred at Musgrove Park hospital, Taunton in the last five years;
	(4)  how much was raised from  (a) parking charges and  (b) parking fines at Musgrove Park hospital, Taunton in the last 12 months;
	(5)  what estimate he has made of the number of patients discharged from Musgrove Park hospital, Taunton in a malnourished state in the last 12 months;
	(6)  how many people are employed in equality and diversity roles at Musgrove Park hospital, Taunton;
	(7)  how much was paid in bonuses to staff in management grades at Musgrove Park hospital, Taunton in the financial year 2008-09;
	(8)  what the budget of the Art For Life scheme at Musgrove Park hospital, Taunton was in each of the last three years.

Mike O'Brien: The information requested is a matter for Taunton and Somerset NHS Foundation Trust. We have written to Rosalinde Wyke, chair of Taunton and Somerset NHS Foundation Trust, informing her of the hon. Member's enquiry. She will reply shortly and a copy of the letter will be placed in the Library.

Musgrove Park Hospital Taunton

Ian Liddell-Grainger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people  (a) contracted and  (b) died from (i) MRSA and (ii) clostridium difficile infection at Musgrove Park Hospital, Taunton in the last 12 months.

Ann Keen: The number of people who contracted methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) bloodstream infections (bacteraemia) and Clostridium difficile infections (CDI) at Musgrove Park hospital, Taunton in the last 12 months is not held in the format requested. Data on the numbers of MRSA bacteraemia and CDI, broken down by acute trust, are published by the Health Protection Agency (HPA) on their website on a monthly basis at:
	www.hpa.org.uk/HPA/Topics/InfectiousDiseases/InfectionsAZ/1191942126541/
	The latest available data for Taunton and Somerset NHS foundation trust, which includes Musgrove Park hospital, are in the following table:
	
		
			  Clostridium difficile infections (CDI) and  Methicillin - resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) bloodstream infections (bacteraemia) diagnosed at Taunton and Somerset foundation trust between December 2008 and November 2009 inclusive 
			  Number 
			   CDI  MRSA 
			  2008   
			 December 3 4 
			
			  2009   
			 January 1 1 
			 February 6 0 
			 March 4 0 
			 April 6 0 
			 May 1 1 
			 June 4 0 
			 July 8 1 
			 August 2 0 
			 September 4 1 
			 October 1 0 
			 November 2 0 
			  Notes:  1. National health service acute trust laboratories report all cases of MRSA bloodstream infections, not just those from in-patients, and include infections acquired in hospital and elsewhere.  2. NHS acute trusts report episodes of CDI in people aged two years and over. The figures presented are the 'trust apportioned number' referring to infections that are presumed to be hospital acquired.   Source: HPA mandatory surveillance scheme The number of people who died from MRSA and CDI at Musgrove Park hospital, Taunton in the last 12 months is not held centrally. The numbers of deaths in England in 2008 where MRSA or CDI were recorded as a contributory factor are available on the website of the Office of National Statistics at (for MRSA): www.statistics.gov.uk/pdfdir/mrsa0809.pdf for CDI): www.statistics.gov.uk/pdfdir/cdif0809.pdf

Musgrove Park Hospital Taunton

Ian Liddell-Grainger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many attacks on staff there have been at Musgrove Park Hospital, Taunton in the last 12 months.

Ann Keen: Information on the number of reported physical assaults against national health service staff is compiled by the NHS Security Management Service (SMS) following the end of each year April to March. Information on assaults in the last 12 months is not available centrally. The number of reported physical assaults against staff at the Musgrove Park hospital, Taunton between 1 April 2008 and 31 March 2009 was 92.
	Further information on the number of reported physical assaults against NHS staff in England is contained in the 'Tables showing number of reported physical assaults on NHS staff from 2004-05 to 2007-08, broken down by NHS trust/PCT' and 'Tables showing number of reported physical assaults on NHS staff in 2008-09, broken down by NHS trust/PCT' which have already been placed in the Library.
	The NHS SMS can assist employers through guidance on assessing risks and acting to protect staff from assaults and, where incidents do occur, on taking action against offenders. The NHS SMS also works with stakeholders, including the Social Partnership Forum, to promote the safety and security of NHS staff.

NHS Walk-in Centres

Derek Twigg: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many NHS walk-in centres there were in  (a) England,  (b) Merseyside and  (c) Cheshire in each year since 1997.

Mike O'Brien: The first national health service walk-in centres were established in 2000; the first wave consisted of 43 pilot sites, opening between 2000 and 2001, with a further 28 sites announced in 2004, and six commuter walk-in centres which opened between 2005 and 2007. Responsibility for centres was subsequently passed to primary care trusts, and the Department no longer centrally monitored numbers; however, we believe there are now over 90 across England, plus 121 new general practitioner (GP)-led health centres, where patients can similarly access care on a walk-in basis.
	The following table gives the walk-in centres and GP health centres believed to have opened in Merseyside and Cheshire since 2000.
	
		
			   Merseyside  Cheshire 
			 2000 3: Liverpool Old Swan; Wirral Arrowe Park; and Wirral Victoria 0 
			 2001 5: above + Liverpool City Centre and St. Helens 0 
			 2005 7: above + Litherland Town Hall and Knowsley Huyton. 0 
			 2006 8: above + Smithdown children's walk-in centre, Liverpool 0 
			 2007 9: above + Knowsley, Kirkby 0 
			 2008 9 1: Widnes 
			 2009 11: above + Knowlsley, Halewood and Mersey View GP access centre 5: above + Newton Surgery, Widnes; Warrington GP health centre; Stockport GP health centre; Western Cheshire GP health centre

NHS Walk-in Centres

Derek Twigg: To ask the Secretary of State for Health for how many hours on average each day NHS walk-in centres are open.

Mike O'Brien: Most national health service walk-in centres are open every day, for at least 12 hours; some are open 24-hours; however opening times will vary to meet local circumstances and are not monitored centrally.

NHS: Drugs

John Baron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  if he will make an assessment of the effects of the guidance issued to primary care trusts (PCTs) on the processes for local decision-making about medicines, with particular reference to  (a) the consistency of decision-making between PCTs and  (b) the availability of drugs not recommended by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence across PCTs;
	(2)  what mechanisms exist to monitor the consistency of decisions taken by exceptional case panels in different primary care trusts.

Mike O'Brien: The National Prescribing Centre's good practice guidance, Supporting rational local decision-making about medicines (and treatments): A handbook of good practice guidance available at:
	www.npc.co.uk/policy/local/constitution_handbook.htm
	was reinforced by directions which came into force on 1 April 2009. We have no plans to make a formal assessment of primary care trust arrangements under the Directions.

NHS: Executives

Derek Twigg: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many female chief executives of NHS hospital trusts there were in  (a) 1997,  (b) 2001 and  (c) 2009.

Ann Keen: Chief executives of NHS hospital trusts are included under the senior manager occupation code within the workforce census, along with other executive level staff such as board members and non-clinical directors. The following table gives the numbers by gender of staff that fall under the senior manager occupational code in 1997, 2001 and 2008. Numbers for 2009 will be available following publication of the next national health service workforce census in March 2010.
	
		
			  NHS hospital and community health services: Senior managers in England by gender as at 30 September each year 
			  headcount 
			   All staff  Male  Female  Percentage male  Percentage female 
			 1997 England 7,528 4,159 3,369 55 45 
			  Of which:  
			 NHS Hospital Trusts 6,107 3,317 2,790 54 46 
			 2001 England 9,740 4,785 4,955 49 51 
			  Of which:  
			 NHS Hospital Trusts 6,616 3,329 3,287 50 50 
			   
			 2008 England 11,508 5,106 6,402 44 56 
			  Of which:  
			 NHS Hospital Trusts 6,508 3,126 3,382 48 52 
			  Notes: 1. It is not possible to isolate the numbers of chief executives from the census data. They are included under the 'senior manger' occupation code, along with other executive level staff such as board members, PEC board members and non-clinical directors. 2. NHS Hospital Trust figures for 2008 should be treated with caution as they are not directly comparable with earlier years. Earlier years include staff and services that would have left NHS Hospital Trusts to form PCTs in 2002. It is not possible to remove these staff from the figures for earlier years.  Source: The NHS Information Centre for health and social care.

Nurses

Anne Milton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many nurses qualified in each of the last five years.

Ann Keen: This information is not collected by the Department. The Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) does not hold information on the numbers of newly qualified nurses but does collate data on the number of initial NMC registrants. Statistical information about the number of initial registrants to the NMC can be viewed via the follow website address:
	www.nmc-uk.org/aArticle.aspx?ArticleID=36

Nutrition

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health with reference to the answer of 9 November 2009,  Official Report, column 128W, on nutrition, if he will ensure that his Department's response to the report of the Nutrition Action Plan Delivery Board is finalised and the report and the response published by the end of February 2010.

Phil Hope: We propose to publish the Nutrition Action Plan Delivery Board final report on progress in implementing the Nutrition Action Plan, together with the Government's response, in February 2010.

Obesity: Drugs

Michael Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Health for what reasons the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency has issued instructions to doctors to cease prescribing the anti-obesity drug sibutramine; whether the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence will bring forward its 2011 review of its guidance on obesity to take account of this development; and if he will make a statement.

Mike O'Brien: I am told that the recent advice issued to healthcare professionals on sibutramine by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) followed a Europe wide review of the risks and benefits of this medicine. This review has been conducted by the European Medicines Agency's (EMA's) Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) after the receipt of new data from the Sibutramine Cardiovascular OUTcomes (SCOUT) study. This large long-term study was conducted at the request of the CHMP to determine the effects of sibutramine in obese and overweight patients with cardiovascular risk factors.
	The new data from the SCOUT study showed that patients with cardiovascular disease and/or type 2 diabetes treated with sibutramine had an increased risk of heart attack and stroke compared with those receiving a placebo. Available study data also suggests that the average weight loss achieved with sibutramine is modest and may not be maintained after treatment is stopped. As a key aim of treating obesity is to decrease the risk of cardiovascular-related conditions such as heart attack and stroke, the risks of sibutramine were considered by the CHMP to outweigh its benefits. Consequently the CHMP has recommended that the licences for sibutramine should be suspended across Europe.
	The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) has issued supplementary advice to stakeholders in the obesity clinical guideline that the recommendations relating to sibutramine have been withdrawn and that the MHRA advice should be followed. NICE'S advice is published on its website at:
	www.nice.org.uk/CG43

Social Services: Vulnerable Adults

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health with reference to his Department's response to its consultation on strengthening protection for vulnerable adults of 19 January 2010, when he plans to bring forward legislative proposals for the mandatory Safeguarding Adults Boards; what estimate he has made of the cost under each budget heading of implementing such proposals; and from what budgets such funding would be drawn.

Phil Hope: On 19 January 2010,  Official Report, columns 8-10WS, we issued a written ministerial statement in response to the consultation on safeguarding adults. This statement outlines the Government's plans, which are to introduce legislation as soon as parliamentary time permits. The costs involved in putting safeguarding boards on a statutory footing will depend on what duties are specified in the legislation. This is still under discussion.

St. James Hospital Leeds: Oncology

Fabian Hamilton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the cost was of establishing the Regional Oncology Centre at St. James's University Hospital.

Ann Keen: Yorkshire and the Humber Strategic Health Authority (SHA) reports that the Bexley Wing, the regional oncology centre based at St. James's University Hospitals, Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, cost £220 million.

Wheelchairs

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether he plans to undertake a review of wheelchair services in England; and if he will make a statement.

Phil Hope: I refer the hon. Member to the written answer I gave the hon. Member for East Worthing and Shoreham (Tim Loughton) on 26 January 2010,  Official Report, column 789W.

INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Departmental NDPBs

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development for how many non-departmental public bodies his Department is responsible.

Michael Foster: The Department for International Development (DFID) is responsible for one non-departmental public body, the Commonwealth Scholarship Commission (CSC). The CSC is responsible for managing Britain's contribution to the Commonwealth Scholarship Plan.

Departmental Travel

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if he will publish the travel guidance issued to staff of the Commonwealth Scholarship Commission in the UK.

Michael Foster: The Department for International Development (DFID) does not issue travel guidance to the Commonwealth Scholarship Commission (CSC). As a non-departmental public body, the CSC has independently produced guidance on this issue, which can be found at:
	http://www.cscuk.org.uk/docs/CSC_travel_policy_16.05.06.pdf

Haiti: Earthquakes

Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what discussions he has had with his international counterparts in respect of the sanitation of camps for displaced persons in Haiti.

Michael Foster: Officials of the Department for International Development (DFID) and I have been in regular contact with our European counterparts, including European Development Ministers and Cathy Ashton, the European Union's High Representative for Foreign Affairs. My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for International Development (Mr. Alexander) has held discussions with Josette Sheeran, head of the World Food Programme and Dr. Rajiv Shah, the United States Agency for International Development's (USAID's) administrator. The Secretary of State has also met with John Holmes, head of the United Nations Office for the Co-ordination of Humanitarian Affairs. A wide range of issues that must be addressed urgently in Haiti, including sanitation, have been discussed.
	Our field team reports that co-ordination of water and sanitation relief efforts continues to improve despite the scope and complexity of this response. There are still problems, but donors, cluster leads and the United Nations Office for the Co-ordination of Humanitarian Affairs are working to identify solutions.

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

Colombia: Human Rights

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he has made representations to the government of Colombia on reports of its treatment of representatives of  (a) trade unions,  (b) students,  (c) indigenous peoples and  (d) other groups.

Chris Bryant: We regularly raise human rights with President Uribe and other members of the Colombian Government with reference to the plight of vulnerable groups such as those mentioned. Our embassy in Bogota also makes representations to the Colombian Government in specific cases of abuse.

Colombia: Human Rights

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make representations to the government of Colombia on the case of the trade union representative, Alirio Garcia.

Chris Bryant: Yes. I will raise Mr. Garcia's case with the Colombian Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs, Adriana Mejia.

Colombia: Human Rights

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent reports he has received on the operation of the justice system in Colombia.

Chris Bryant: There are serious problems facing Colombia's judicial system, and the issue of impunity remains a particular concern. There is a lack of accountability for state forces guilty of human rights violations, and for crimes committed by non-state actors. These are issues I regularly raise with the Colombian Government.
	We are funding two projects aimed at tackling impunity in Colombia at present, totalling £250,000. The largest of these projects is being implemented by the UN Office on Drugs and Crime and is being tailored to meet the needs of those involved in the Colombian judicial process, including investigators, lawyers and judges.

Cyprus: Property

David Burrowes: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the answer of 25 January 2010,  Official Report, column 585W, what revisions he has made to his Department's guidance in relation to property development in the north of Cyprus.

Chris Bryant: We are currently reviewing our travel advice, as we do on a regular basis. It already contains guidance relating to property in Cyprus, in which we highlight the issues involved and recommend that purchasers obtain independent legal advice.

Departmental Health and Safety

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the answer of 21 January 2010,  Official Report, column 486W, on departmental health and safety, if he will place in the Library a copy of the document previously used by his Department to provide staff with health and safety advice.

Chris Bryant: Yes.

Departmental Manpower

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many staff his Department employs in each of the UK's overseas territories.

Chris Bryant: The number of staff employed by my Department in each of the Overseas Territories is as follows:
	Anguilla : Four UK-based; and one locally engaged staff in the Governor's office
	Ascension Island: The Administrator
	Bermuda: Three UK-based in the Governor's office
	British Virgin Islands: Four UK-based; and two locally-engaged staff in the Governor's office
	Cayman Islands: Four UK-based; and one locally engaged staff in the Governor's office
	Gibraltar: 22 Employed in the Office of the Governor
	Falkland Islands: Four UK-based staff in the Governor's office
	Montserrat: Four UK-based; and two locally engaged staff in the Governor's office
	Pitcairn: One, The Governor's Representative
	St Helena: Three UK-based staff in the Governor's office
	Turks and Caicos Islands: Six UK-based staff
	Tristan da Cunha: One, The Administrator

Departmental Manpower

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many staff in his Department are serving as heads of mission overseas.

Chris Bryant: There are 143 staff currently serving overseas in the position of ambassador or high commissioner. In addition, there are a further 41 staff serving as Head of Subordinate Post, and nine staff serving as Governor/Administrator.

Departmental NDPBs

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs for how many non-departmental public bodies his Department is responsible.

Chris Bryant: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office sponsors the following non-departmental public bodies:
	The British Council
	Diplomatic Service Appeal Board
	Government Hospitality Advisory Committee for the Purchase of Wine
	Great Britain-China Centre
	Marshall Aid Commemoration Commission
	Westminster Foundation for Democracy
	Wilton Park Advisory Council.

Kazakhstan: Overseas Trade

Fabian Hamilton: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he has received recent reports of corruption in business transactions between the UK and Kazakhstan.

Chris Bryant: I have not received any recent reports of corruption in business transactions between the UK and Kazakhstan.

Middle East: Peacekeeping Operations

Martin Linton: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make it his policy to vote in favour of the endorsement of the report of the UN Fact Finding Mission on the Gaza Conflict at the forthcoming meetings of  (a) the UN General Assembly and  (b) the UN Security Council.

Ivan Lewis: The UN General Assembly in New York considered the Goldstone report on 5 November 2009 where we made our position clear: some aspects of the report were flawed-particularly its failure to acknowledge fully Israel's right to protect its citizens, and the inadequate attention paid to Hamas' actions. We eventually decided to abstain on the resolution, with France and 42 others, because voting for the resolution would have meant endorsing the report and ignoring its flaws. However, the issues raised by the report were very serious, and they should be credibly and independently investigated.
	The UN Secretary General is expected to release a report on the progress of both Israeli and Palestinian investigations in February 2010. We will consider his report when we receive it.

Overseas Residence: Crime

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many British citizens are  (a) detained abroad awaiting trial and  (b) detained abroad in violation of Article 9 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.

Chris Bryant: The most recent figures show that on 30 September 2009, we were aware of 2,582 British nationals detained overseas. It is not possible to give the number who are still awaiting trial except by looking through the files on all these detainees, which would involve disproportionate expense.
	Where we are aware of concerns that a British national is not being treated in line with international standards we will, with the detainee's permission, consider approaching the local authorities. We keep individual records of cases where concerns are raised. However for the reasons already described we cannot give the number of cases where concerns have been raised over denial of the rights set out in article 9 of the international covenant on civil and political rights.

Peru: Foreign Relations

Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with his Peruvian counterpart on Peru's adherence to the United Nations General Assembly's declaration on the rights of indigenous peoples; and if he will make a statement.

Chris Bryant: The UK maintains an open dialogue with Peru on human rights. During Peru's Universal Periodic Review at the United Nations Human Rights Council in May 2008, the UK recommended that Peru tackle discrimination against vulnerable groups such as indigenous peoples. Following outbreaks of violence between police and civilians, including indigenous groups, in July 2009 our ambassador to Peru spoke to both Prime Minister Velasquez Quesquen and Foreign Minister Garcia Belaunde urging dialogue and the establishment of a process to give indigenous groups an equal voice in planning the sustainable development of Peru's Amazon region.
	We continue to follow closely Peru's progress on the rights of indigenous peoples, including implementing the recommendations the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Situation of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms of Indigenous Peoples made after his visit to Peru in July 2009. We welcome the dialogue mechanism established between the Peruvian government and indigenous groups and the recent creation of two natural reserves on part of Peru's indigenous territory. This measure safeguards the biodiversity of the area and natural resources for the indigenous communities living there.
	The Government are committed to protecting human rights of indigenous people although we do not plan to sign International Labour Organisation (ILO) Convention 169. As the UK does not have any indigenous people as defined by article la of the Convention we would be unable to give effect to the Convention. The convention sets out a framework for the way in which governments operate in regard to indigenous people within their own territories.
	The UK supported the UN Declaration of the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, which was adopted in September 2007, as we consider this an important tool to protect indigenous people. This declaration is important because it represents the views and wishes of indigenous people as well as those of the UN member states, recognises the rights of indigenous individuals and establishes the parameters for future work on the basis of mutual respect.
	We are also committed to implementing EU Council Resolution of 30 November 1998 on Indigenous peoples within the framework of the development co-operation of the Community and the member states, a policy which indigenous people were involved in developing. In 2005, we agreed the joint statement on EU development policy that committed the EU to strengthening the mainstreaming of indigenous issues. This involves regularly meeting representatives of indigenous groups to discuss policy and implementation, as well as making indigenous groups eligible for funding under EU human rights and democracy programmes. The EU is also funding the ILO to work on implementing ILO Convention 169 in Africa, Latin America and South Asia.
	The Government have also set out its plans and undertakings in the DFID 2005 Policy Paper Reducing poverty by tackling social exclusion, which includes the rights of indigenous peoples. These include undertaking to identify which groups in society are excluded and why, through the country governance analysis process which feeds into country assistance plans, as well as recognising that indigenous peoples are often denied rights especially through their language not being recognised and/or through living in remote or isolated geographical locations. These also include supporting programmes which seek to strengthen the rights, voice and political representation and participation of excluded groups.

United Nations

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what changes the UK is seeking in the composition of the UN Security Council.

Ivan Lewis: The Government strongly support reform of the UN Security Council, as part of a wide range of UN reforms. The UK supports permanent seats for Brazil, India, Germany and Japan, together with permanent African representation. In the absence of agreement on a permanent reform model, the UK believes that an intermediate solution could help to achieve the goal of a reformed Security Council.

United Nations

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the UK's objectives are for reform of the United Nations.

Ivan Lewis: The Government's key objective is a more efficient and effective United Nations which is able to meet 21st century challenges. Specific areas of reform that the UK is supporting include: reform of the UN Security Council; stronger linkages between peacekeeping and peace building; more effective leadership in, and management of, UN bodies; and implementation of the system-wide coherence agenda aimed at improving the UN's performance in the humanitarian and development fields.

Venezuela: Politics and Government

Tom Levitt: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent assessment he has made of the political and economic stability of Venezuela and its role in the region.

Chris Bryant: Venezuela is currently going through a difficult period both economically and politically. Water and electricity shortages across Venezuela have worsened, with cuts of up to five hours per day in the states of Táchira, Mérida, Falcón and Bolivar. Caracas, which has been deliberately spared, is now also affected by water cuts, particularly in the barrios. There are genuine concerns that electricity supplies to Caracas will be severely affected too. The Guri dam, which supplies more than 70 per cent. of Venezuela's electricity, is at its lowest level for years and Venezuela is only in the first of a six-month 'dry season'. Most of this reflects lack of investment, not helped by the highest per capita energy and water use in the region resulting from economically distorting subsidies and price controls.
	Although oil prices have recovered, the economy contracted around 1.5 per cent. in 2009, which in turn has limited the Government's ability to sustain previous levels of social spending. With subsidies reducing, important social missions such as Mercal, the subsidised food programme, have had to increase prices (by as much as 80 per cent. on some lines). The weekly consumer basket remains about 30 per cent. higher than the minimum wage. Inflation remains high at, officially, 27 per cent.
	On the weekend of 26 January 2010, the Venezuelan Government took six cable television channels off the air for not televising a Government message. The privately owned RCTV International, openly opposed to President Hugo Chavez, is one of those affected. This has led to major student protests with reports of at least one student being killed in the city of Mérida. There has been strong condemnation from the US and EU partners on the closure of the stations.

SOLICITOR-GENERAL

Departmental Public Consultation

Grant Shapps: To ask the Solicitor-General how many citizens' juries or summits have been hosted by the Law Officers' Departments since October 2008; on what date each event took place; and which Ministers were present at each event.

Vera Baird: The Crown Prosecution Service has two types of forums where citizens are present and are consulted on CPS policy and strategy developments:
	 The National Community Accountability Forum
	There are 11 citizens on this forum. The forum was set up in April 2007 and usually meets quarterly. It has met on the following dates since October 2008:
	22 October 2008;
	21 January, 8 April, 30 September, 30 November 2009;
	6 January 2010.
	 Community Involvement Panels
	There are currently 11 local level Community Involvement Panels. The number of citizens on each of these panels vary between four and 30. The frequency of meetings held varies, but it is between two and three times per year. There is no centrally held information on the actual dates when meetings were held.
	Ministers have not been present at any of the forum meetings.
	No citizens' juries or summits have been held by any of the remaining Law Officers' Departments.

Departmental Public Expenditure

David Simpson: To ask the Solicitor-General how much the Law Officers' Departments spent on  (a) new furnishings,  (b) works of art and  (c) new vehicles in each of the last three years.

Vera Baird: The information requested is contained in the following tables:
	
		
			  Treasury Solicitor's Department (TSol), Attorney-General's Office (AGO), HM Crown Prosecution Service Inspectorate and National Fraud Office 
			  Financial year  Total (£) 
			 2006-07 33,742 
			 2007-08 (1)258,172 
			 2008-09 40,981 
			 (1) Figure for 2007-08 includes expenditure associated with the AGO relocation to 20 Victoria Street. 
		
	
	The above table outlines capital expenditure on furniture, fixtures and fittings. It is not possible to separate spend on furniture from fixtures and fittings without incurring a disproportionate cost, and there has been no recorded expenditure on works of art or new vehicles.
	
		
			  The Serious Fraud Office 
			  £ 
			  Financial year  New furnishings  New vehicles 
			 2006-07 (1)277,535 (2)92,350 
			 2007-08 61,034 0 
			 2008-09 42,145 0 
			 (1) The increased spend for 2006-07 includes costs incurred by vacating offices in Verulam Gardens and consolidating accommodation on two sites at Elm Street and Grays Inn Road.  (2) The one-off figure 2006-07 is the cost of a specialised incident response and mobile laboratory unit acquired by the SFO and operated by the City of London Police. 
		
	
	The SFO have no record of any expenditure on artwork during the last three financial years.
	
		
			  The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) 
			   Total (£ million)( 1) 
			 2006-07 1.5 
			 2007-08 1.3 
			 2008-09 2.1 
			 (1) These figures include expenditure by the RCPO, which merged with the CPS in 2009-10. 
		
	
	The data provided cover items that cost over £500 only and it is possible that additional furniture and furnishings have been purchased at a lower cost. To obtain information on low value items would incur disproportionate cost.
	The CPS is a devolved organisation. To identify spend relating to works of art would require local managers to review all paper procurement records and would incur disproportionate cost.
	The CPS has not purchased any new vehicles in the last three years.

Domestic Violence: Prosecutions

David Ruffley: To ask the Solicitor-General how many prosecutions there were for offences relating to domestic violence in Suffolk in each year since 1997.

Vera Baird: Since 2005, CPS Suffolk has captured domestic violence (DV) data, using the Services' electronic Compass Case Management System (CMS). The number of defendants prosecuted for offences of domestic violence in Suffolk since 2005 are as follows:
	
		
			   Number 
			 2006 850 
			 2007 742 
			 2008 801 
			 2009 916 
		
	
	The collection of complete and comparative data began only in 2005-06.

Government Departments: Criminal Proceedings

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Solicitor-General what guidance her Department has issued on the processing of complaints of criminal conduct on the part of Ministers and Government officials made to  (a) the Director of Public Prosecutions and  (b) the Crown Prosecution Service.

Vera Baird: I can confirm that neither the Attorney-General nor I have issued guidance to either the Director of Public Prosecutions or to the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) on the processing of complaints of criminal conduct on the part of Ministers and Government officials. The CPS does not have an investigative function. Complaints of criminal conduct on the part of Ministers or Government officials would be investigated by the police or other relevant law enforcement body. Where an investigation results in a file being passed to the CPS, the prosecution decision will be made by a Crown prosecutor in accordance with the Code for Crown Prosecutors.

Government Departments: Criminal Proceedings

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Solicitor-General whether the Crown Prosecution Service operates a system to regulate  (a) access and  (b) dissemination of material within the Service relating to (i) investigations into and (ii) prosecutions of (A) Ministers and (B) officials of Government departments.

Vera Baird: The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) applies the Government Protective Marking Scheme (GPMS) for regulating access to material relating to the investigation and prosecution of alleged criminal conduct within its possession by applying appropriate security classifications. The level of the protective marking will dictate what steps should be taken to prevent any unauthorised disclosure or loss of the item. These steps include specific requirements as to the level of security clearance needed to have access to the material in question, the physical conditions under which it will be stored, and how it will be transmitted within and between locations. The CPS security policy is designed to ensure that all confidential material in the Service's possession is safeguarded in conditions of appropriate security and that access to case papers is restricted to those with a clear business need to see the relevant material.
	Legal Guidance issued by the CPS provides that certain categories of cases must be referred by CPS Areas to CPS Headquarters so that they can be dealt with by suitably qualified and senior lawyers. Under this guidance, cases involving Members of Parliament, including Ministers, (acting in their official capacity or office), and other cases involving high profile people are referred to, and dealt with, by the CPS Special Crime Division (SCD). Where the allegation involves matters in the Minister's or Member's private life, this will usually be dealt with by the local CPS Area. If appropriate, the Director of Public Prosecutions will be kept informed about the progress of such cases.

Government Departments: Data Protection and Freedom of Information

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Solicitor-General what systems are in place in the Government Legal Service to advise its members on  (a) responsibilities for compliance with legal obligations under (i) the Freedom of Information Act 2000 and (ii) provisions of the Data Protection Acts,  (b) the sanctions for non-compliance with such legislation and  (c) the provisions of the common law relating to misconduct in public office.

Vera Baird: Government lawyers are employed in a range of Departments and non-departmental public bodies. Each organisation is responsible for setting and enforcing its own Freedom of Information and Data Protection Act policies and Government lawyers would be expected to comply with the policies of the Department in which they serve.
	The Government Legal Service's (GLS) intranet site includes a site containing materials and guidance on information law. In addition a wide range of GLS training on these issues is provided to Government lawyers.

Treasury Solicitors Dept: Data Protection and Freedom of Information

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Solicitor-General what procedures exist within the Treasury Solicitor's Department to ensure that its employees comply with the provisions of  (a) data protection and  (b) freedom of information legislation.

Vera Baird: The Treasury Solicitor's (TSol) departmental intranet contains written guidance for all staff on dealing with Freedom of Information (FOI) Act and Data Protection Act (DPA). This includes TSol guidance on handing FOI requests and Data Protection, an FOI checklist and a Records Management Manual. There is also a section within the TSol Staff Handbook on handling Information and Records Management.
	In addition to the training provided on the provisions of the Freedom of Information Act to all employees at the time of implementation, every new employee since January 2005 has received specific induction training on how to handle an FOI or DPA request in accordance with our legislative obligations.
	In addition each FOI and DPA response must be personally approved by a TSol director to ensure that the response complies with the provisions of the appropriate Act.

COMMUNITIES AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT

Community Development: Coventry

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what steps the Government has taken in respect of community safety in Coventry in the last 12 months.

Alan Campbell: holding answer 1 February 2010
	I have been asked to reply.
	Coventry now has dedicated Neighbourhood Policing teams providing a visible presence, engaging communities and problem solving. Improving public confidence in dealing with the crime and antisocial behaviour that matters locally is a key priority for community safety partners and Coventry has benefited from a wide range of community safety approaches in the last 12 months. In particular, Coventry has received funding as part of the Tackling Knives Action Programme which saw increased police patrols and safety arches.
	Coventry's Community Safety Partnership (CSP), with the police as a key partner, has a number of activities and interventions in place to tackle crime and antisocial behaviour, and its causes. The CSP actively participated in the Home Office sponsored Not in My Neighbourhood Week in November 2009 with multi-agency street briefings, community clean-ups and community surgeries.

Community Development: Finance

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government with reference to his Department's press release of 14 October 2009, on connecting communities, what criteria were used to determine the allocation of funding to neighbourhoods.

Barbara Follett: Connecting Communities neighbourhoods have been identified by examining a range of hard and soft data around cohesion, deprivation and crime, perceived unfairness in the allocation of resources and feedback from people working locally. The funding allocated to each neighbourhood is based on the individual plans that they have drawn up which focus on giving people a bigger say in local issues, addressing specific local concerns and increasing access to local services and opportunities.

Departmental Manpower

Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many performance reviews were undertaken in respect of staff of  (a) his Department and  (b) its agencies in each of the last five years; in how many cases performance was rated as unsatisfactory or below; how many staff left as a direct result of such a rating; and what percentage of full-time equivalent staff this represented.

Barbara Follett: The numbers of performance reviews undertaken by staff in the Department of Communities and Local Government and its agencies over the past five years are set out in the table:
	
		
			   Total number of reviews  Number of reviews rated unsatisfactory or below 
			 2005 2,857 11 
			 2006 3,238 17 
			 2007 3,131 18 
			 2008 3,275 10 
			 2009 3,181 8 
			 Totals: 15,682 64 
		
	
	Of the 64 cases where performance was rated as unsatisfactory or below, no staff have left the Department as a direct result of this rating. This equates to 0 per cent. of full-time equivalent staff.

Departmental Publications

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what his Department's timetable is for the production of its staff handbook in an alternative electronic format that can be published online; and if he will place in the Library a copy of the staff handbook when available on CD-ROM.

Barbara Follett: The work to reproduce Communities and Local Government's staff handbook in an alternative electronic format is due to be completed at the end of March 2010 and a copy will be placed in the Library.

Deprivation Indicators

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government when he plans to publish the next Index of Multiple Deprivation.

Rosie Winterton: The Department is currently considering a timetable for the next English Index of Multiple Deprivation. Once a decision on a publication date has been reached, this will be announced on the National Statistics Publication Hub, in line with the Code of Practice for Official Statistics.

Floods: Cumbria

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if he will make an estimate of the irrecoverable financial losses incurred by local authorities consequent on the Cumbria floods in 2009.

Rosie Winterton: Local authorities are responsible for assessing their own risk and putting in place contingencies through the use of insurance, self insurance and reserves to provide both security and value for money for their communities to deal with emergencies like the Cumbrian flooding. It will be a matter for authorities to make any assessments on irrecoverable costs and how they are managed.
	The Government operate a scheme of emergency financial assistance (Bellwin) to assist local authorities in covering costs they incur as a result of work in coping with emergencies such as, typically, floods.
	In the event of an exceptional emergency, individual departments will now consider providing financial support for various aspects of the recovery effort.
	In recognition of the exceptional nature of these floods, the Government and the North West Development Agency (NWDA) has made available direct financial assistance in addition to support and advice to the Cumbria area.
	Funding for bridge and road repairs, construction of a temporary footbridge and a free train shuttle service.
	£1 million Community Recovery Grant available to local authorities to use to help local people and businesses.
	£2.95 million worth of schemes to provide assistance to businesses, the farming and tourism industries along with funding and additional support to the local authorities.
	The Bellwin scheme that provides emergency financial assistance to local authorities to help meet uninsurable costs they incur when dealing with the aftermath of a major emergency in their area. Set at 100 per cent. rather than 85 per cent. above threshold.

Housing: Finance

Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what steps his Department plans to take to assist arm's length management organisations to raise finance for renovation work on their properties; and if he will make a statement.

Ian Austin: Arms length management organisations (ALMOs) maintain council housing stock on behalf of their parent local authorities. ALMOs are funded by a management fee that is agreed between the ALMO and its local authority. Capital funding support for local authorities is allocated in the form of supported capital expenditure allowances within the housing revenue account subsidy system. The Department does not fund ALMOs directly.

Local Government

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what guidance his Department has given to  (a) local authorities and  (b) regional assemblies on opening offices overseas.

Barbara Follett: No guidance on this matter has been issued by this Department.

Local Government: Assets

Margaret Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many local authorities have  (a) sold community assets to social enterprise or third sector organisations and  (b) taken decisions to sell such assets in each of the last three years.

Barbara Follett: The Government do not keep centralised information on this but a recent survey, carried out by SQW Consultants on behalf of the Development Trust Association, found that, out of the 119 local authorities in England who replied to it (33 per cent. of the total), 80 per cent. had completed asset transfers to social enterprises or other third sector organisations in the two years 2007-09. The survey also found that, among those authorities, more than 350 asset transfer projects are currently under way. It should be noted however that the survey does not relate to sales alone but to transfers on a range of tenures.

Local Government: Compensation

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government with reference to his Department's press release of 26 August 2008 on redress, what plans he has to require local authorities to offer  (a) high street vouchers and  (b) monetary compensation to local residents in cases where a local authority service has failed.

Rosie Winterton: The evidence considered by the review of redress, to which the press release of 26 August 2008 referred, showed that the key factor for people in feeling that their concern had been adequately dealt with was not receiving compensation, but having their problem effectively resolved. Communities and Local Government therefore has no plans to require local authorities to offer high street vouchers and monetary compensation to local residents in cases where a local authority service has failed.

Local Government: Reorganisation

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what legal costs his Department incurred in respect of each completed judicial review on local government restructuring.

Barbara Follett: The departmental costs incurred in respect of each completed judicial review on local government restructuring are as follows:
	
		
			  Challenge against the Secretary of State brought by:  Legal costs to Department (£) 
			 Bedfordshire County Council 31,089 
			 Blyth Valley Borough Council 3,160 
			 Devon County Council 2,608 
			 Durham City Council 2,500 
			 Harrogate Borough Council 3,340 
			 Kennett District Council 5,488 
			 Penwith District Council 1,780 
			 Shrewsbury and Atcham Borough Council and Congleton Borough Council 124,000 
		
	
	In relation to all challenges against the Secretary of State, with the exception of Devon county council's, costs were awarded in full to the Secretary of State and have been recovered in full from the local authorities, with the exception of Shrewsbury and Atcham and Congleton borough councils where we are in the process of recovering costs. In the case of Devon county council the parties agreed to a settlement in respect of costs which saw the Secretary of State recover half of his costs.
	
		
			  Challenge against the Boundary Committee where the Secretary of State has been named as an interested party brought by:  Legal costs to Department (£) 
			 Breckland District Council and others 65,435 
			 East Devon District Council 34,154 
			 Suffolk Coastal (R oao Forest Heath District Council) 45,857 
		
	
	The Secretary of State appeared in the cases against the Boundary Committee as an interested party and therefore did not seek costs.

Local Government: Sustainable Development

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government when he expects to announce his decision in respect of bids selected by the Local Government Association in its role as Selector under the Sustainable Communities Act 2007.

Barbara Follett: The Government are consulting the Local Government Association in its role as selector under the Sustainable Communities Act 2007 and are seeking to reach agreement on which of the 199 short-listed proposals should be implemented. Many of the proposals are complex and raise significant practical issues but the Government are anxious to make progress as quickly as possible on those proposals that offer practical benefits and new ways of meeting local needs.

Local Strategic Partnerships: Members

Jacqui Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what guidance his Department provides on the role of hon. Members as members of  (a) local strategic partnerships and  (b) working groups appointed by local strategic partnerships.

Barbara Follett: In July 2008 the Department published statutory guidance Creating Strong, Safe and Prosperous Communities which sets out key elements of the local performance framework including the role of local strategic partnerships (LSPs). It recognises that LSPs are a collection of organisations and representatives coming together voluntary to work in partnership, they are not statutory bodies.
	It is for local areas to determine the arrangements that best suit local circumstances. The guidance therefore deliberately does not prescribe membership and members' roles for local strategic partnerships or their working groups.

Non-Domestic Rates

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much and what proportion of business rate revenue was raised from the  (a) local and  (b) central rating list in each the last three years.

Barbara Follett: The amount, in £ billion, and the proportion of the total non-domestic rates collected in 2006-07, 2007-08 and 2008-09 in England from the local and central rating lists respectively are shown in the following table.
	
		
			   Local list  Central list 
			   Amount (£ billion)  Proportion of total (percentage)  Amount (£ billion)  Proportion of total (percentage) 
			 2006-07 16.9 93.6 1.1 6.4 
			 2007-08 17.1 93.6 1.2 6.4 
			 2008-09 18.7 94.2 1.1 5.8 
		
	
	The figures shown for the local list are the amounts collected in the year, after the deduction of reliefs and the cost of collection or losses.

Non-domestic Rates: Garages and Petrol Stations

Philip Dunne: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if he will take steps to ensure that petrol filling stations in rural areas are not adversely affected as a result of the Valuation Office Agency's 2010 business rate revaluation.

Barbara Follett: The five-yearly business rates revaluations make sure each business pays its fair contribution and no more and will not raise a single extra penny for Government. Over a million properties will see their business rate liabilities come down as a result of revaluation.
	In the last five years, alongside rising petrol prices and increasing turnover, the rents paid on many petrol filling stations has grown. It is only fair to all ratepayers this is reflected in rate bills. The Government have put in place a £2 billion relief scheme to limit the impact on the minority with bill increases, which in 2010-11 will ensure no business property sees its rates bill increase by more than 11 per cent. per cent. as a result of the revaluation, with maximum increases capped at just 3.5 per cent. per cent. for small properties. That is on top of the wider support available to help ease business pressures including discounted rate bills for small businesses and deferring tax payments.
	Our rural rate relief scheme provides 50 per cent. rate relief for the sole petrol station with a rateable value below £10,500 in designated rural settlements, with a discretionary power for the relevant local authority to top this up to 100 per cent. We will uprate the rateable value threshold for to £12,500 from April 1 2010 in line with the general movement of property at revaluation. This means that any rural petrol station currently eligible for this relief will continue to be eligible in the next revaluation period if their rateable value has increased in line with the average.

Non-Domestic Rates: Lifeboats

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether lifeboat stations are eligible for business rate relief.

Barbara Follett: Life boat stations operated by the Royal National Lifeboat Institute (RNLI) will be entitled to rate relief. As a registered charity the RNLI is entitled to 80 per cent. mandatory rate relief which can be topped up to 100 per cent. at the discretion of local authorities.

Non-Domestic Rates: Ports

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government with reference to the answer to Lord Bates of 3 December 2009,  Official Report, House of Lords, columns 66-67WA, on Department for Communities and Local Government: meeting with MPs, which hon. Members representing constituencies with ports he has met.

Barbara Follett: My right hon. Friend has met with the hon. Members for Grimsby (Mr. Mitchell); Cleethorpes (Shona McIsaac); Brigg and Goole (Mr. Cawsey); and Liverpool, Riverside (Mrs. Ellman) regarding the backdating of national non domestic rates in ports.

Non-Profit Making Associations

Margaret Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the outcomes have been of the work of his Department's social enterprise unit since its inception.

Barbara Follett: Communities and Local Government has a Community Resource Division which is responsible for supporting the development of community-based organisations. In relation to the support for local social enterprise, the following has been achieved:
	Establishing the £70 million Communitybuilders Programme which makes loans and investment available to community anchor organisations throughout England.
	Introducing the £9.25 million Empowerment Fund that has directly invested in the School for Social Entrepreneurs and Social Firms UK. Social Firms UK will use the fund to develop social firms as a way of tackling worklessness, creating jobs in community-based enterprises for individuals who need this support. They will be starting up at least 50 more social firms over three years to create 250 new employment opportunities. At least a third will be for disadvantaged people who would otherwise not have such an opportunity. The Empowerment Fund will enable the SSE to enhance, expand and grow the impact of their work on empowering and supporting individuals and groups in their communities to develop skills and confidence, networks and sustainable enterprises.
	Establishing the Asset Transfer Unit, which provides information, advice and a referral service on asset transfer; for example buildings that can provide a base for community enterprises.
	Developing the Advancing Assets Programme which provides local authority-community sector partnerships m 72 areas with support to develop community asset transfer strategies and advance individual transfer projects. A further 30 areas are currently in process of selection for 2010-11.
	Producing a series of seminars in conjunction with the Social Enterprise Coalition and the Economic and Research Council linking the impact of social enterprise to departmental policies. The seminars have brought together policy officials, academics, and social enterprise practitioners to discuss and share knowledge and experiences in interactive workshops, open discussion and an opportunity to network and forge relationships.
	Conducting action research with the Office of the Third Sector to study how local authorities across the country work successfully with social enterprises.

Non-Profit Making Associations

Margaret Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many social enterprises have received assistance from his Department's social enterprise unit; and if he will make a statement.

Barbara Follett: Communities and Local Government has a Community Resource Division which is responsible for supporting the development of community-based organisations. In relation to the support for local social enterprise, the following has been achieved:
	Establishing the £70 million Communitybuilders Programme which makes loans and investment available to community anchor organisations throughout England.
	Introducing the £9.25 million Empowerment Fund that has directly invested in the School for Social Entrepreneurs and Social Firms UK. Social Firms UK will use the fund to develop social firms as a way of tackling worklessness, creating jobs in community-based enterprises for individuals who need this support. They will be starting up at least 50 more social firms over three years to create 250 new employment opportunities. At least a third will be for disadvantaged people who would otherwise not have such an opportunity. The Empowerment Fund will enable the SSE to enhance, expand and grow the impact of their work on empowering and supporting individuals and groups in their communities to develop skills and confidence, networks and sustainable enterprises.
	Establishing the Asset Transfer Unit, which provides information, advice and a referral service on asset transfer; for example buildings that can provide a base for community enterprises.
	Developing the Advancing Assets Programme which provides local authority-community sector partnerships in 72 areas with support to develop community asset transfer strategies and advance individual transfer projects. A further 30 areas are currently in process of selection for 2010-11.
	Producing a series of seminars in conjunction with the Social Enterprise Coalition and the Economic and Research Council linking the impact of social enterprise to departmental policies. The seminars have brought together policy officials, academics, and social enterprise practitioners to discuss and share knowledge and experiences in interactive workshops, open discussion and an opportunity to network and forge relationships.
	Conducting action research with the Office of the Third Sector to study how local authorities across the country work successfully with social enterprises.
	It would be extremely difficult to obtain an exact number of enterprises affected as many of these programmes are ongoing and this could be gathered only at disproportionate cost.

Non-Profit Making Associations

Margaret Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much and what proportion of its budget his Department has allocated for assistance to social enterprises in the next three years.

Barbara Follett: The Department's records do not differentiate between social enterprises and other third sector organisations so the information requested could be provided only at disproportionate cost. CLG and its non-departmental public bodies has allocated over £2.5 billion to third sector organisations in the 2009-10 financial year, which is around 18 per cent. of the budget for the year. We do not have information on final allocations for 2010-11 and funding in 2011-12 will be subject to the next spending review.

Non-Profit Making Associations

Margaret Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what guidance his Department's social enterprise unit has provided to  (a) local authorities,  (b) regional development agencies and  (c) non-governmental organisations on procurement since its inception.

Barbara Follett: Communities and Local Government has worked with the Office of the Third Sector and the Improvement and Development Agency on the National Programme for Third Sector Commissioning. The programme aims to increase awareness and understanding of the third sector, increase third sector involvement in commissioning and improve bidding practice. According to the evaluation of Phase 1 of the programme, 70 per cent. of commissioners said it had increased their knowledge about how to make commissioning available to third sector organisations, leading to increased shared learning and application to commissioning practices, and incorporation of core principles into frameworks, strategies and other documents.
	Furthermore, the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government will be hosting a round table with local authority innovation and procurement experts and third sector representatives (including social enterprise representatives) to discuss the role of the third sector in local public service commissioning.
	The Department is also fully committed to, and involved in the work of, the Cabinet Committee on the third sector's involvement in public services, at which issues of procurement and commissioning will be discussed.
	In addition the Department, in partnership with the Office of the Third Sector, is to undertake action research to look at how local authorities work successfully in partnership with social enterprises. This will include looking at issues of commissioning and procurement. We intend to publish our findings to local authorities and social enterprises once the research is complete in 2011.

Public Lavatories

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many public conveniences there are in each local authority area; and how many have closed in each such area in each of the last 10 years.

Barbara Follett: The provision and maintenance of toilets in public places is at the discretion of local authorities who have, under section 87 of the Public Health Act 1936, a power to provide public conveniences, but no duty to do so. For this reason, the information requested is not held centrally.

Snow and Ice

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimate he has made of the costs to his Department arising from the severe weather conditions in the period 4 January to 18 January 2010; and if he will make a statement.

Barbara Follett: No formal assessment of costs have been made; however costs are likely to be minimal and associated with the existing salaries of staff who work on resilience matters.

Social Rented Housing

Margaret Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what recent guidance his Department has given to  (a) the Homes and Communities Agency,  (b) the Tenant Services Authority and  (c) registered social landlords on (i) procurement priorities and (ii) social enterprises in the last three years.

Barbara Follett: The Office of Government Commerce is responsible for issuing guidance to the public sector on (i) procurement priorities and (ii) social enterprises.

Supporting People Programme

Margaret Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimate he has made of the number of Supporting People contracts what will not be renewed in 2010-11; and if he will make a statement.

Barbara Follett: The Government have made no such estimate. It is for local authorities to make decisions around Supporting People contracts, based on their strategic assessments of local needs.

HOUSE OF COMMONS COMMISSION

Buildings: Ebbsfleet

Howard Stoate: To ask the hon. Member for North Devon, representing the House of Commons Commission what consideration he has given to the potential for the relocation of a Government office or executive agency to Ebbsfleet in the Kent Thameside growth area.

Liam Byrne: I have been asked to reply.
	The Lyons review which reported in 2004 suggested that a Government relocation programme could generate savings over a 15 year period and demonstrated the positive impact that well planned relocations can have on local economies. In light of this the Government set a target to relocate 20,000 Civil Servants out of London and the South East by March 2011 and increased this to 24,000 at Budget 2009.
	Putting the Front Line First: Smarter Government published in December 2009 went further and announced that Ian Smith would lead an independent review on relocations. The review will report in time for Budget and will outline how at least 10 per cent. of all Civil Service posts currently based in London and the South East can be relocated in the medium term.
	As part of this I have asked that the review provide recommendations which deliver a step change in the transparency of Government relocations, involving both the development of a transparent long-term pipeline, and launch of a new forum to regularly bring together local areas and OGC to structure relocation propositions that deliver better value for money.

WORK AND PENSIONS

Better Off in Work Credit: Yorkshire and the Humber

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions with reference to the answer of 3 November 2009,  Official Report, column 814W, on better off in work credit: Yorkshire, how many people have moved from benefits to work in Yorkshire under the pilot.

Jim Knight: The better off in work credit aims to increase people's confidence that they will be better off in work. On 21 January, the National Institute of Economic and Social Research published a report of their evaluation of the pilot. The research supports the Government's belief that most people are better off in work than on benefits. There are however a small number of situations where this may not be the case and for these customers the better off in work credit provides a useful means of support to those entering work.
	Information on the number of people who moved from benefits to work in Yorkshire under the pilot is not available. 108 people received better off in work credit payments.

Christmas

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much her Department has budgeted for Christmas trees in 2009.

Jim Knight: holding answer 14 December 2009
	There is no provision for the cost of Christmas trees or decorations to be met from departmental funds and therefore there is no budget for Christmas trees in 2009.
	It is up to individual teams of staff to decide whether or not to put up Christmas trees or decorations and these would be paid for by the individual employees and not departmental funds.

Disability Living Allowance

Meg Munn: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether her Department has carried out a disability equality impact assessment on the working age disability living allowance checklist.

Jonathan R Shaw: The DLA checklist was taken through the equality impact assessment (EIA) screening process. The screening process demonstrated that the DLA checklist does not unlawfully discriminate against any group in relation to equality and therefore a full equality impact assessment was not required.

Disability Living Allowance

Meg Munn: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what research her Department has undertaken on the effect on the submission of verbal claims of the introduction of the working age disability living allowance checklist.

Jonathan R Shaw: The DLA checklist is a tool designed to help the customer gain a better understanding of the purpose of the benefit and the entitlement criteria. Taking customers through the checklist ensures they are better informed when deciding whether or not to proceed with a claim. The decision to claim, as always, remains with the customer. The introduction of the checklist has not altered the established claiming process. It does not replace the claim form or represent a verbal claim.

Disability Living Allowance

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to paragraph 167 on page 117 in her Department's Annual Report 2009, what assessment she has made of the reasons behind the growth of the disability living allowance (DLA) caseload; and what expenditure forecasts she has made for DLA for each of the next 10 years.

Jonathan R Shaw: holding answer 28 January 2010
	The Disability Living Allowance caseload has grown for a number of reasons, including the maturing of the benefit, which was introduced in its current form in 1992, demographic factors and increased awareness of the benefit. We currently forecast that expenditure will grow by a further 2.3 per cent. between 2009-10 and 2010-11. By convention the Treasury does not publish a projection of Annually Managed Expenditure beyond the current spending review period.

Employment: Disabled

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate she has made of the  (a) number and  (b) proportion of disabled people who are employed (i) full and (ii) part-time in the (A) public sector and (B) private sector, in the latest period for which information is available.

Jonathan R Shaw: holding answer 28 January 2010
	There are 5,819,000 people of working age who declare a disability that corresponds to the Disability Discrimination Act definition of disability. Of these, 2,783,000 (47.8 per cent.) are in employment. Information about the number and proportion of disabled people who are in full and part time employment in the public and private sectors is in the following table.
	
		
			  Number and proportion of disabled people who are in full and part time employment in the public and private sectors 
			   Private sector  Public sector 
			   Number  Proportion  Number  Proportion 
			 Full time 1,413,000 24 529,000 9 
			 Part time 582,000 10 237,000 4 
			  Note: Figures do not sum to 2,783,000 as a small number of cases have missing values for either the full time/part time or the private sector/public sector variables.  Source: Labour Force Survey 2009, quarter 3

Employment: York

Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people in City of York council area have moved off benefits and into work in the last 12 months.

Jim Knight: The available information can be found in the following table.
	
		
			  Number of jobseeker's allowance claimants in York district local authority who have flowed into work in the last 12 months-November 2008 - October 2009 
			 Found work 3,800 
			 Increased work to 16 plus hours per week 55 
			 Total Found Work 3,855 
			  Notes: 1. Figures are rounded to the nearest 5. 2. The information is published on the Nomis website at: www.nomisweb.co.uk.  Source: Count of unemployment-related benefits, Jobcentre Plus computer systems (computer held cases only)

Future Jobs Fund

Theresa May: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many of the 95,000 Future Jobs Fund jobs announced to date will be in each local authority area; and how many are expected to start in each such area.

Jim Knight: It is not possible to provide these numbers yet as there were a considerable number of national bids that did not provide a split of jobs by region or local authority.

Incapacity Benefit: Employment and Support Allowance

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions for what reasons the Tabulation Tool on her Department's website does not contain combined information on incapacity benefit and employment and support allowance caseloads; and if she will take steps to ensure this information is available.

Jonathan R Shaw: holding answer 25 January 2010
	Incapacity Benefit/Severe Disablement Allowance and Employment and Support Allowance combined information is available on the Working Age Client Group Tabulation Tool found at:
	http://83.244.183.180/100pc/wa/tabtool_wa.html
	Employment and support allowance replaced incapacity benefit and income support paid on the grounds of incapacity for new claims from 27 October 2008. Prior to November 2008 the Incapacity benefits statistical group referred to claimants of incapacity benefit (including credits only) or severe disablement allowance, including people claiming income support on the grounds of incapacity. From November 2008, the Working Age Client Group data for Incapacity benefits group includes employment and support allowance and is called the Employment and support allowance and incapacity benefits statistical group.

Jobcentre Plus: Milton Keynes

Mark Lancaster: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what projection she has made of the provision of job centres in Milton Keynes in the next five years.

Jim Knight: The administration of Jobcentre Plus is a matter for the Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus, Darra Singh. I have asked him to provide the Hon. Member with the information requested.
	 Letter from Darra Singh:
	The Secretary of State has asked me to reply to your question asking what projection she has made of the future provision of job centres in Milton Keynes in the next five years. This is something that falls within the responsibilities delegated to me as Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus.
	Jobcentre Plus has recognised that there is a need for further capacity in its central Milton Keynes office. As an interim measure some Jobcentre Plus services have been conducted out of additional premises since October 2009. Jobcentre Plus has obtained new larger premises and the current expectation is that work will move to that office from September 2010.
	We will continue to monitor our estate capacity and alter it if necessary to ensure we meet customer requirements over the coming years.
	I hope this information is helpful.

Jobcentre Plus: Standards

Theresa May: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what data her Department collects on  (a) performance at each Jobcentre Plus office and  (b) the average time taken for a jobseeker's interview with a personal adviser (i) for initial assessment, (ii) to make a jobseeker's agreement, (iii) to sign on and (iv) for other purposes.

Jim Knight: The administration of Jobcentre Plus is a matter for the Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus, Darra Singh. I have asked him to provide the right hon. Member with the information requested.
	 Letter from Darra Singh:
	The Secretary of State has asked me to reply to your question asking what data her Department collects on (a) performance at each Jobcentre Plus office and (b) the average time taken for a jobseeker's interview with a personal adviser (i) for initial assessment, (ii) to make a jobseeker's agreement, (iii) to sign on and (iv) for other purposes. This is something that falls within the responsibilities delegated to me as Chief Executive.
	Jobcentres manage performance through a series of Targets and Key Management Indicators. The majority of these are managed at site level although some are managed at higher levels.
	The performance data sets used are:
	Targets:
	Customer Service-how well we deliver our service to customers.
	Job Outcome-the number of our customers moving into work.
	Employer Engagement (Outcome Component)-how well we deliver our services to employers.
	Intervention Delivery-providing timely work-focussed support.
	Key Management Indicators:
	Jobseeker's Allowance Off Flow-to achieve specified Jobseeker's Allowance off flow rates.
	Date of Claim +3 Scheduled-the number of new claims interviews booked within 3 days.
	Attendance Management-to reduce the average number of working days lost through sick absence.
	Customer Compliance-to undertake compliance activities which result in a change to current benefit or a past period overpayment.
	Jobseeker's Allowance Direct Payments-to promote payment of new claims into a bank account.
	Local Employment Partnerships-to ensure that Jobcentre Plus meets its commitment to place both disadvantaged and newly unemployed jobseekers in to work with LEP employers.
	These data sets can be supplemented by other information and used when required Data is not collated on the average length of time taken to undertake advisory interventions including a New Jobseeker Interview, making a jobseeker's agreement, to sign on and for other purposes, as the actual time taken will depend on the individual customer's needs.
	I hope this information is helpful.

Pensions Act 2008

Gordon Banks: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what discussions she has had with Ministerial colleagues on the effect on competition of a four year period for implementation of the provision of the Pensions Act 2008.

Angela Eagle: holding answer 29 January 2010
	I have discussed the workplace pension reforms, including the four year implementation period, with various ministerial colleagues in the usual way.

Winter Fuel Payments: South East

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many and what proportion of people in each local authority area in South East England waited four weeks or more to receive winter fuel payments in the last 12 months.

Angela Eagle: The information is not available.

JUSTICE

Absent Voting

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many people are registered to vote by post in each parliamentary constituency, ranked from highest to lowest in respect of the number in each constituency; and what percentage of the total of those on the electoral roll this represents in each such constituency.

Michael Wills: The Government do not hold this information. However, the Electoral Commission has collated this information from the 2005 general election, which represents the most up to date figures for the UK. Copies will be placed in the Libraries of both Houses.
	The Government are aware that postal voting on demand has been well received since its introduction in 2000. At the 2009 European Parliamentary and local elections, the total number of people across the UK who were sent a postal vote was 6,318,501, equivalent to 14.2 per cent. of the total electorate. Across the UK as a whole, turnout among those who were sent a postal vote at these elections was 61.6 per cent. compared with 30.4 per cent. of those who were able to vote in person at their local polling station.

Debt Collection

Henry Bellingham: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what plans he has to make regulations under the Tribunals, Courts and Enforcement Act 2007 in relation to the use of force by bailiffs.

Bridget Prentice: Following a reassessment of the enforcement provisions within the Tribunals, Courts and Enforcement Act 2007 I announced, on 17 March 2009,  Official Report, column 46WS, that the Government would implement the provisions in part 3 of the Act while not extending bailiffs' powers of entry and the use of force by enforcement agents and the introduction of a new fee structure.
	As part of the implementation process my officials conducted a pre consultation exercise during November and December 2009. They sought views from officials in other Government Departments, the enforcement industry, and the advice sector on draft regulations on the seizure of goods. Consideration has also been given to a proposed fee structure.
	Following analysis of the responses on the draft regulations some redrafting and further consideration will be necessary. This will affect the commencement of the consultation process. However, it remains our intention to consult publicly in 2010 with a view to implementing the changes in April 2012.

Departmental Legislation

Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice which Acts sponsored by his Department since May 2007 contain provisions which are retrospective in their effect.

Michael Wills: There is currently no central record of the information required. I will obtain the information and write to my hon. Friend as soon as it is available.

Domestic Violence

Henry Bellingham: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what recent assessment he made of the effectiveness of the use by bailiffs of powers under the Domestic Violence, Crime and Victims Act 2004; and if he will make a statement.

Bridget Prentice: No recent assessment has been undertaken. However in accordance with their contractual obligations, bailiffs are under a duty to check with the court before forcing entry and to assess each incident.
	The contracts Her Majesty's Courts Service has with private bailiff companies also require these companies to report monthly on the use of search and forced entry powers to HMCS. Under the previous AEO contracts which ran from 1 April 2006 until 30 November 2009 there were only two occasions of forced entry used by authorised enforcement agents.

Driving Offences

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice pursuant to the answer of 27 January 2010 to question 312817, what the average fine given to a person convicted of driving without insurance was in each justice administrative area in 2008.

Claire Ward: Pursuant to the answer of 27 January 2010,  Official Report, columns 860-62W, the number of average fines imposed at all courts in England and Wales in 2008 for using a motor vehicle uninsured against third party risks, by police force area, is given in the following table.
	
		
			  Average fine imposed at all courts for offences of using a motor vehicle uninsured against third party risks, by police force area, England and Wales, 2008( 1) 
			  Police force area  Average amount of fine (£) 
			 Avon and Somerset 184 
			 Bedfordshire 246 
			 Cambridgeshire 207 
			 Cheshire 275 
			 City of London 238 
			 Cleveland 230 
			 Cumbria 225 
			 Derbyshire 339 
			 Devon and Cornwall 193 
			 Dorset 253 
			 Durham 188 
			 Essex 260 
			 Gloucestershire 225 
			 Greater Manchester 222 
			 Hampshire 196 
			 Hertfordshire 251 
			 Humberside 219 
			 Kent 257 
			 Lancashire 251 
			 Leicestershire 197 
			 Lincolnshire 233 
			 Merseyside 193 
			 Metropolitan Police 238 
			 Norfolk 202 
			 North Yorkshire 222 
			 Northamptonshire 203 
			 Northumbria 188 
			 Nottinghamshire 192 
			 South Yorkshire 205 
			 Staffordshire 274 
			 Suffolk 204 
			 Surrey 256 
			 Sussex 216 
			 Thames Valley 257 
			 Warwickshire 240 
			 West Mercia 252 
			 West Midlands 241 
			 West Yorkshire 190 
			 Wiltshire 263 
			 Dyfed Powys 230 
			 Gwent 215 
			 North Wales 216 
			 South Wales 196 
			 England and Wales 229 
			 (1) Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used.  Source: Justice Statistics Analytical Services-Ministry of Justice.

Driving Offences: Suffolk

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many  (a) convictions,  (b) cautions and  (c) fixed penalty notices have been given to people arrested for speeding offences on (i) the A143 and (ii) the A14 in Suffolk in each year since 1997.

Alan Campbell: I have been asked to reply.
	The information requested is not collected centrally.
	Information held by the Home Office and Ministry of Justice on motoring convictions, cautions and fines do not include information on the specific road where the speeding took place.

Employers' Liability: Insurance

Dai Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what recent meetings he has had with the Asbestos Support Groups Forum on proposals to create an employers' liability insurance bureau.

Bridget Prentice: My right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Justice and Lord Chancellor (Mr. Straw) and my noble Friend, the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for the Department for Work and Pensions (Lord McKenzie) met the Asbestos Victims Support Groups Forum in October 2009 to discuss a number of issues relating to asbestos-related diseases, including issues relating to employers' liability insurance.

Legal Services Commission: Interest Charges

Henry Bellingham: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice on how many occasions the interest charged on Legal Services Commission charges has been reviewed to reflect the economic situation in the last five years.

Bridget Prentice: The statutory charge interest rate, like many private loan interest rates, is not linked to the Bank of England rate. The interest rate has been reviewed twice in the past five years. It was set at 8 per cent. (simple interest) on 1 October 2005. On 8 June 2009 a decision was taken to leave the rate unchanged. That decision was explained in a written ministerial statement made by my noble Friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Lord Bach) on 8 June 2009,  Official Report,  House  of Lords, column WS23.

Polling Stations: Disabled

Paul Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what steps are being taken to ensure disabled people have access to polling stations in the forthcoming General Election.

Michael Wills: The Government believe that it is important that all electors have access to polling stations for all elections, including the forthcoming general election. We have introduced a number of measures to strengthen the existing arrangements and to provide additional support to make voting more accessible for all.
	Local authorities are responsible for designating polling places and must carry out a full assessment of polling places at least every four years to ensure that so far as is practicable all venues are accessible to electors who are disabled.
	Inside the polling station, returning officers are required to display an enlarged version of the ballot paper in polling stations and to provide upon request at polling stations, a large hand-held sample copy of the ballot paper for the assistance of visually impaired voters. Returning officers must also ensure that each polling station is supplied with a tactile voting device which is designed to enable blind and partially sighted voters to cast their vote independently without revealing their voting intentions to a third party. We have also provided that upon application to the presiding officer, all disabled voters may cast their vote with the assistance of a companion.

Prosecutions: Misconduct

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many prosecutions of officials of Government departments have been brought for misconduct in public office in each of the last six years; and how many such prosecutions have resulted in convictions.

Claire Ward: Information showing the number of defendants proceeded against at magistrates courts, and found guilty at all courts for 'Misconduct in a public office', England and Wales, from 2002 to 2007 can be viewed in the table. Data held on the Court Proceedings Database do not separately identify those officials proceeded against who were working in Government Departments.
	Offences of 'Misconduct in a public office' form part of a miscellaneous group of offences for which 2008 data are not yet separately available.
	I will write to the hon. Gentleman when these data become available.
	
		
			  Number of defendants proceeded against at magistrates courts and found guilty at all courts for 'Misconduct in a public office'( 1,2)  England and Wales, 2002 - 07( 3,4,5) 
			   Proceeded against  Found guilty 
			 2002 5 2 
			 2003 - 3 
			 2004 3 9 
			 2005 10 4 
			 2006(6) 8 18 
			 2007 21 16 
			 (1) Is an offence under Common law. (2) Defendants proceeded against or found guilty of conspiring, aiding or abetting a public official to commit 'Misconduct in a public office' are excluded from the data in the table. (3) The statistics relate to persons for whom these offences were the principal offences for which they were dealt with. When a defendant has been found guilty of two or more offences the principal offence is the offence for which the heaviest penalty is imposed. Where the same disposal is imposed for two or more offences, the offence selected is the offence for which the statutory maximum penalty is the most severe. (4) Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used. (5) The number of defendants found guilty in a particular year may exceed those proceeded against, as it may be the case that the proceedings in the magistrates court took place in the preceding year and they were found guilty at the Crown Court in the following year, or the defendants was found guilty for a different offence to the original offence proceeded against. (6) Figures provided for 2006 are the result of a validation process between the Office for Criminal Justice-Evidence and Analysis Unit and the courts.  Source: Justice Statistics Analytical Services-Ministry of Justice

Rape: Convictions

Paul Holmes: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many  (a) arrests,  (b) prosecutions and  (c) convictions of (i) men and (ii) women for offences of rape there have been in each police force area in each year since 1997.

Claire Ward: The number of males and females proceeded against at magistrates courts and found guilty at all courts for rape (including attempts) by police force area, 1997 to 2008 (latest available) is shown in the following tables.
	The information requested on arrests is not collected centrally. The arrests collection held by the Home Office covers arrests for recorded crime (notifiable offences) only, broken down at a main offence group level, covering categories such as violence against the person and sexual offences. From these centrally reported data it is not possible to identify specific offences from within the main offence groups.
	
		
			  Number of persons proceeded against at magistrates courts and found guilty at all courts for rape( 1)  by sex, England and Wales 1997 to 2008( 2, 3) 
			   1997  1998 
			   Male  Female  Male  Female 
			  Force  Proceeded against  Found guilty  Proceeded against  Found guilty  Proceeded against  Found guilty  Proceeded against  Found guilty 
			 Avon and Somerset 71 10 - - 75 15 1 - 
			 Bedfordshire 25 6 - - 28 5 - - 
			 Cambridgeshire 20 6 - - 19 3 - - 
			 Cheshire 25 12 - - 32 12 - - 
			 City of London - - - - - - - - 
			 Cleveland 13 7 - - 20 5 - - 
			 Cumbria 12 - - - 11 5 - - 
			 Derbyshire 36 9 1 - 37 7 - - 
			 Devon and Cornwall 48 14 4 - 39 20 1 3 
			 Dorset 28 5 - - 18 4 - - 
			 Durham 17 8 - - 28 9 - - 
			 Essex 49 21 - - 63 14 - - 
			 Gloucestershire 10 2 - - 12 2 - - 
			 Greater Manchester 158 30 - - 151 54 - - 
			 Hampshire 70 28 2 - 72 23 - - 
			 Hertfordshire 29 13 - - 20 8 1 - 
			 Humberside 17 11 - - 25 8 - - 
			 Kent 31 16 1 - 44 11 3 - 
			 Lancashire 72 14 1 - 64 20 - - 
			 Leicestershire 48 11 - - 44 18 - - 
			 Lincolnshire 26 8 1 - 27 8 - - 
			 Merseyside 21 17 - - 59 20 - - 
			 Metropolitan Police 317 116 - - 328 111 2 - 
			 Norfolk 19 2 - - 20 4 1 - 
			 North Yorkshire 16 4 - - 15 8 - - 
			 Northamptonshire 4 4 - - 14 5 - - 
			 Northumbria 92 26 - - 139 23 - - 
			 Nottinghamshire 60 14 1 - 58 19 1 - 
			 South Yorkshire 46 17 - - 38 13 - - 
			 Staffordshire 42 13 - - 34 11 - - 
			 Suffolk 19 6 - - 28 7 - - 
			 Surrey 12 3 - - 16 4 - - 
			 Sussex 20 15 - - 45 15 - - 
			 Thames Valley 64 16 - - 53 9 - - 
			 Warwickshire 6 1 - - 9 3 - - 
			 West Mercia 30 13 - - 35 12 - - 
			 West Midlands 107 38 1 - 151 50 - 1 
			 West Yorkshire 89 26 1 - 105 48 - - 
			 Wiltshire 24 3 - - 25 3 1 - 
			 Dyfed-Powys 23 7 - - 16 4 - - 
			 Gwent 37 13 - - 37 4 - - 
			 North Wales 31 8 - - 33 11 - - 
			 South Wales 64 25 - - 87 36 - - 
			 England and Wales 1,948 618 13 - 2,174 671 11 4 
		
	
	
		
			   1999  2000 
			   Male  Female  Male  Female 
			  Force  Proceeded against  Found guilty  Proceeded against  Found guilty  Proceeded against  Found guilty  Proceeded against  Found guilty 
			 Avon and Somerset 75 9 1 - 59 13 - - 
			 Bedfordshire 34 5 - - 31 5 - - 
			 Cambridgeshire 38 4 - - 27 4 - - 
			 Cheshire 29 13 - - 33 12 - 1 
			 City of London - - - - 1 2 - - 
			 Cleveland 17 12 - - 17 8 1 - 
			 Cumbria 17 4 - - 7 3 - - 
			 Derbyshire 40 11 1 - 35 10 2 1 
			 Devon and Cornwall 40 20 - - 29 15 - - 
			 Dorset 23 8 - - 20 13 1 1 
			 Durham 29 6 - - 40 3 - - 
			 Essex 63 11 - - 38 6 - - 
			 Gloucestershire 13 4 1 - 20 8 - - 
			 Greater Manchester 135 30 - - 120 44 1 - 
			 Hampshire 93 29 1 1 91 23 - - 
			 Hertfordshire 22 10 - - 28 6 - - 
			 Humberside 20 9 1 - 26 6 - - 
			 Kent 36 14 - - 50 20 - - 
			 Lancashire 69 32 - - 73 15 - - 
			 Leicestershire 26 14 - - 37 8 - - 
			 Lincolnshire 21 5 - - 28 11 - - 
			 Merseyside 48 11 - - 67 9 1 - 
			 Metropolitan Police 378 103 1 - 337 108 3 2 
			 Norfolk 22 4 - - 14 5 - - 
			 North Yorkshire 20 8 - - 15 7 - - 
			 Northamptonshire 3 12 - - 4 6 - - 
			 Northumbria 113 23 - - 94 19 - - 
			 Nottinghamshire 49 24 3 - 59 18 - 1 
			 South Yorkshire 29 16 - - 47 7 - - 
			 Staffordshire 27 17 - - - 14 - 1 
			 Suffolk 19 10 - - 14 5 - - 
			 Surrey 13 2 - - 19 4 - - 
			 Sussex 41 10 - - 47 9 - - 
			 Thames Valley 42 18 - - 45 15 - - 
			 Warwickshire 7 1 - - 6 2 - - 
			 West Mercia 26 10 - - 20 5 - - 
			 West Midlands 146 38 - - 156 37 - - 
			 West Yorkshire 141 46 5 - 135 41 - - 
			 Wiltshire 15 1 - - 9 4 - - 
			 Dyfed-Powys 32 5 1 - 25 5 - - 
			 Gwent 36 11 - - 24 10 1 - 
			 North Wales 27 9 - - 24 4 - - 
			 South Wales 79 29 1 - 64 22 1 - 
			 England and Wales 2,153 658 16 1 2,035 591 11 7 
		
	
	
		
			   2001  2002 
			   Male  Female  Male  Female 
			  Force  Proceeded against  Found guilty  Proceeded against  Found guilty  Proceeded against  Found guilty  Proceeded against  Found guilty 
			 Avon and Somerset 94 15 2 - 86 13 - - 
			 Bedfordshire 25 11 - - 31 7 - - 
			 Cambridgeshire 33 7 - - 24 9 - - 
			 Cheshire 36 7 - - 35 10 - - 
			 City of London - - - - 3 - - - 
			 Cleveland 21 5 - - 34 11 1 - 
			 Cumbria 37 6 1 - 27 6 - - 
			 Derbyshire 37 4 1 - 44 8 - 1 
			 Devon and Cornwall 35 13 - - 17 17 - - 
			 Dorset 41 4 - - 30 8 - - 
			 Durham 38 3 - - 39 5 - - 
			 Essex 46 9 1 - 60 7 - - 
			 Gloucestershire 14 1 - - 32 2 - - 
			 Greater Manchester 163 42 1 - 201 36 2 - 
			 Hampshire 107 23 1 - 112 28 - - 
			 Hertfordshire 28 8 - - 35 10 - - 
			 Humberside 22 8 - - 37 12 1 - 
			 Kent 47 20 1 - 74 20 3 - 
			 Lancashire 90 20 - - 98 17 - - 
			 Leicestershire 50 6 - - 55 9 - - 
			 Lincolnshire 21 5 - - 35 10 - - 
			 Merseyside 85 28 - - 103 17 - - 
			 Metropolitan Police 446 88 1 1 573 118 2 1 
			 Norfolk 23 5 1 - 21 10 - - 
			 North Yorkshire 26 7 - - 28 10 - - 
			 Northamptonshire 6 9 - - 4 8 - - 
			 Northumbria 77 21 2 1 64 25 - - 
			 Nottinghamshire 78 29 1 - 62 15 1 - 
			 South Yorkshire 59 17 - - 62 22 1 - 
			 Staffordshire 63 9 - - 60 14 - - 
			 Suffolk 25 1 - - 35 7 1 - 
			 Surrey 26 7 - - 26 6 1 - 
			 Sussex 49 9 - - 53 12 - - 
			 Thames Valley 62 16 - - 52 18 - - 
			 Warwickshire 5 2 - - 10 1 - - 
			 West Mercia 50 8 - - 48 12 1 1 
			 West Midlands 213 44 - - 250 34 - - 
			 West Yorkshire 167 25 1 - 133 20 1 - 
			 Wiltshire 21 3 - - 32 10 - - 
			 Dyfed-Powys 16 2 - - 21 3 - - 
			 Gwent 41 9 - - 51 16 2 - 
			 North Wales 27 3 - - 30 7 - - 
			 South Wales 86 11 1 - 100 22 1 - 
			 England and Wales 2,636 570 15 2 2,927 652 18 3 
		
	
	
		
			   2003  2004 
			   Male  Female  Male  Female 
			  Force  Proceeded against  Found guilty  Proceeded against  Found guilty  Proceeded against  Found guilty  Proceeded against  Found guilty 
			 Avon and Somerset 83 20 - - 76 24 1 - 
			 Bedfordshire 22 8 - - 35 13 - - 
			 Cambridgeshire 21 6 - - 27 4 - - 
			 Cheshire 39 13 - - 37 13 - - 
			 City of London - - - - 1 - - - 
			 Cleveland 37 9 - - 26 10 - - 
			 Cumbria 22 8 - - 18 11 - - 
			 Derbyshire 57 13 - - 58 21 - - 
			 Devon and Cornwall 10 18 - - 21 16 - - 
			 Dorset 17 3 - - 19 6 - - 
			 Durham 25 1 - - 34 9 1 - 
			 Essex 52 7 - - 54 12 - - 
			 Gloucestershire 16 8 - - 21 1 - - 
			 Greater Manchester 214 41 2 - 198 36 1 - 
			 Hampshire 101 13 - - 93 19 2 - 
			 Hertfordshire 38 10 - - 55 13 - - 
			 Humberside 35 13 - - 34 10 1 - 
			 Kent 55 9 - - 59 11 - 1 
			 Lancashire 73 20 1 - 79 21 - - 
			 Leicestershire 48 17 1 - 43 12 - - 
			 Lincolnshire 25 6 1 - 32 6 - - 
			 Merseyside 96 15 - - 68 23 - - 
			 Metropolitan Police 637 132 - - 514 120 1 1 
			 Norfolk 19 5 - - 10 10 - - 
			 North Yorkshire 22 6 - - 50 15 - - 
			 Northamptonshire 6 10 - - 20 16 - - 
			 Northumbria 82 22 - - 59 23 - - 
			 Nottinghamshire 66 13 2 - 68 13 - 1 
			 South Yorkshire 56 20 - - 66 26 - - 
			 Staffordshire 50 11 1 - 53 17 - - 
			 Suffolk 28 7 1 - 29 3 - - 
			 Surrey 33 5 - - 16 5 - - 
			 Sussex 41 18 - - 54 13 - - 
			 Thames Valley 61 14 - - 55 18 - - 
			 Warwickshire 9 1 - - 7 3 - - 
			 West Mercia 40 12 - - 46 15 - - 
			 West Midlands 235 57 - - 217 58 1 - 
			 West Yorkshire 131 34 1 2 101 51 - 1 
			 Wiltshire 29 7 - - 29 6 1 - 
			 Dyfed-Powys 13 2 - - 33 5 - - 
			 Gwent 49 12 2 - 44 6 - 1 
			 North Wales 15 7 - - 31 8 - - 
			 South Wales 68 18 2 - 89 24 1 - 
			 England and Wales 2,776 671 14 2 2,679 746 10 5 
		
	
	
		
			   2005  2006 
			   Male  Female  Male  Female 
			  Force  Proceeded against  Found guilty  Proceeded against  Found guilty  Proceeded against  Found guilty  Proceed against  Found guilty 
			 Avon and Somerset 59 12 - - 69 17 - - 
			 Bedfordshire 27 9 - - 19 5 - - 
			 Cambridgeshire 28 11 - - 23 6 - - 
			 Cheshire 45 12 - - 36 21 - - 
			 City of London - - - - - - - - 
			 Cleveland 48 9 - - 41 18 - - 
			 Cumbria 18 7 - - 16 6 - - 
			 Derbyshire 70 14 - - 53 24 - - 
			 Devon and Cornwall 19 24 - - 30 21 - - 
			 Dorset 21 6 - - 25 10 - - 
			 Durham 36 8 - - 36 7 - - 
			 Essex 50 13 - - 37 15 - - 
			 Gloucestershire 15 3 - - 29 13 - - 
			 Greater Manchester 203 51 - - 188 55 - - 
			 Hampshire 105 28 - - 67 31 - 1 
			 Hertfordshire 48 8 3 - 57 7 - 1 
			 Humberside 48 16 - 1 48 30 1 - 
			 Kent 59 20 - - 71 22 - - 
			 Lancashire 114 20 - - 85 31 - - 
			 Leicestershire 49 13 - - 40 9 - - 
			 Lincolnshire 33 14 1 - 17 9 - - 
			 Merseyside 45 28 - - 45 18 - - 
			 Metropolitan Police 638 118 2 - 587 150 2 1 
			 Norfolk 4 11 - - 4 17 - - 
			 North Yorkshire 32 11 - - 36 13 - - 
			 Northamptonshire 19 7 - - 14 11 - 1 
			 Northumbria 62 15 - - 64 25 - - 
			 Nottinghamshire 60 20 - - 52 17 - - 
			 South Yorkshire 70 40 - - 66 27 - - 
			 Staffordshire 48 16 - - 52 10 - - 
			 Suffolk 38 9 - - 39 12 - - 
			 Surrey 27 4 - - 21 5 - - 
			 Sussex 64 12 1 - 58 13 - - 
			 Thames Valley 91 23 1 - 86 23 - 1 
			 Warwickshire 12 7 - 1 12 6 - - 
			 West Mercia 49 14 - - 41 14 - - 
			 West Midlands 170 68 1 2 174 53 2 1 
			 West Yorkshire 118 52 - - 67 42 - - 
			 Wiltshire 31 4 - - 21 13 - - 
			 Dyfed-Powys 12 6 - - 12 3 - - 
			 Gwent 40 7 - - 44 7 - - 
			 North Wales 21 3 - - 20 5 - - 
			 South Wales 71 19 - - 60 16 - - 
			 England and Wales 2,817 792 9 4 2,562 857 5 6 
		
	
	
		
			   2007  2008 
			   Male  Female  Male  Female 
			  Force  Proceeded against  Found guilty  Proceeded against  Found guilty  Proceeded against  Found guilty  Proceeded against  Found guilty 
			 Avon and Somerset 69 19 - - 45 13 - - 
			 Bedfordshire 17 8 - - 20 9 - - 
			 Cambridgeshire 27 7 1 - 28 9 - 1 
			 Cheshire 29 13 - - 33 27 - - 
			 City of London - - - - 1 - - - 
			 Cleveland 35 23 - - 34 10 - - 
			 Cumbria 20 9 - - 13 4 - - 
			 Derbyshire 53 15 - - 38 12 - - 
			 Devon and Cornwall 38 22 - - 32 25 - - 
			 Dorset 21 3 1 - 10 16 - - 
			 Durham 28 5 - - 32 18 - - 
			 Essex 19 9 - - 38 19 - - 
			 Gloucestershire 32 6 - - 20 9 - - 
			 Greater Manchester 195 50 1 - 175 72 - - 
			 Hampshire 103 27 1 - 91 27 - - 
			 Hertfordshire 25 12 - - 22 11 - - 
			 Humberside 27 24 - - 36 14 - - 
			 Kent 69 27 1 - 52 37 - - 
			 Lancashire 87 28 - - 67 37 - - 
			 Leicestershire 31 14 - - 34 10 - - 
			 Lincolnshire 13 7 - - 20 8 - - 
			 Merseyside 38 16 - - 44 13 - - 
			 Metropolitan Police 553 156 4 - 564 173 2 - 
			 Norfolk 11 12 - - 32 11 - - 
			 North Yorkshire 31 18 - - 37 11 - - 
			 Northamptonshire 2 11 - - 21 10 - - 
			 Northumbria 54 23 - - 56 19 - - 
			 Nottinghamshire 41 21 - - 42 18 - - 
			 South Yorkshire 56 27 - - 53 25 - - 
			 Staffordshire 43 21 - - 42 18 - - 
			 Suffolk 19 4 - 1 15 5 - - 
			 Surrey 19 5 - - 17 8 - - 
			 Sussex 43 26 - - 65 16 1 - 
			 Thames Valley 63 26 - - 57 23 - - 
			 Warwickshire 10 3 - - 12 6 - - 
			 West Mercia 24 10 - - 39 10 - - 
			 West Midlands 171 57 - 1 155 59 - - 
			 West Yorkshire 77 49 - - 130 53 - - 
			 Wiltshire 22 8 1 - 29 12 - - 
			 Dyfed-Powys 13 5 1 - 15 3 1 - 
			 Gwent 37 16 - - 36 8 1 - 
			 North Wales 14 11 - - 27 8 - - 
			 South Wales 72 18 1 - 61 25 - - 
			 England and Wales 2,351 871 12 2 2,390 921 5 1 
			 (1) Includes: Rape and attempted rape of a female or male. (2) Includes: Conspiracies, charges of participation in offences as accessories after the fact and charges of participation in offences by impeding the apprehension or prosecution of the offender. (3) The statistics relate to persons for whom these offences were the principal offences for which they were dealt with. When a defendant has been found guilty of two or more offences the principal offence is the offence for which the heaviest penalty is imposed. Where the same disposal is imposed for two or more offences, the offence selected is the offence for which the statutory maximum penalty is the most severe.  Note: Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used. Source: Justice Statistics Analytical Services-Ministry of Justice.

Youth Custody

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many juveniles sentenced to a custodial sentence in  (a) 1997 and  (b) the most recent year for which information is available had served (i) one, (ii) two, (iii) three, (iv) four, (v) five and (vi) more than five previous custodial sentences.

Claire Ward: Figures for juveniles given immediate custodial sentences for indictable or triable-either-way offences are shown in the following table. These figures represent a further breakdown of the statistics in table 6.8 of Sentencing Statistics 2008 which was published on 28 January 2010 and can be found at:
	http://www.justice.gov.uk/publications/sentencingannual.htm
	Figures for 1997 are not available; the table shows figures for 2000, the earliest year for which this breakdown can be provided.
	The figures have been drawn from the police's administrative IT system, the police national computer, which, as with any large scale recording system, is subject to possible errors with data entry and processing. The figures are provisional and subject to change as more information is recorded by the police.
	
		
			  Juvenile offenders receiving immediate custodial sentences for indictable offences, by the number of previous immediate custodial sentences, 2000 and 2008, England and Wales 
			  Number of offenders and percentages 
			   2000  2008 
			  Number of previous custodial sentences  Number  Percentage  Number  Percentage 
			 0 3,879 62 3,560 55 
			 1 1,283 21 1,264 19 
			 2 583 9 687 11 
			 3 251 4 407 6 
			 4 131 2 252 4 
			 5 60 1 130 2 
			 6 or more 40 1 187 3 
			 Total 6,227 100 6,487 100

BUSINESS, INNOVATION AND SKILLS

Apprentices

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills how many apprenticeships have been started under the National Apprenticeship Service in  (a) Coventry and  (b) nationally since its inception.

Kevin Brennan: holding answer 25 January 2010
	The National Apprenticeship Service was set up in April 2009. Information on apprenticeship starts and achievements is shown on an academic year basis. For the 2008/09 academic year there were 1,600 apprenticeship starts in Coventry local authority and 239,900 apprenticeship starts in England, the largest number of people starting an apprenticeship ever.
	Information on the number of Apprenticeship starts is published in a quarterly statistical first release (SFR). The latest SFR was published on 17 December, and re-issued on 21 January to include provisional national estimates of the number of apprenticeship starts and achievements in the first quarter of 2009/10:
	http://www.thedataservice.org.uk/statistics/sfrdec09
	Supplementary table 6 shows apprenticeship starts by quarter for 2003/04 onwards.
	 Notes:
	1. Figures are rounded to the nearest 100.
	2. The figure for Coventry local authority is based upon home postcode of the learner.

Apprentices

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills how much funding has been allocated to the National Apprenticeship Service since its inception.

Kevin Brennan: holding answer 25 January 2010
	Since its inception on 1 April 2009, the National Apprenticeship Service (NAS) has been allocated £1.085 billion for Apprenticeship training and £36.5 million discretionary non-participation funds for the financial year April 2009 to March 2010. Funding for Apprenticeships for young people aged 16 to 18 is allocated by the Department of Children, Schools and Families (DCSF). Funding for Apprenticeships for adults aged 19 and over is allocated by the Department of Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS). The breakdown of funding allocations between the Departments is as follows:
	
		
			  £000 
			   BIS  DCSF  Total 
			 Apprenticeship Participation 389,914 695,054 1,084,968 
			 Non-Participation (Revenue) 25,595 8,000 33,595 
			 Non-Participation (Capital) - 2,900 2,900 
			 Total 415,509 705,954 1,121,463

Apprentices

Stephen Hepburn: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills how many people completed an apprenticeship in  (a) Jarrow constituency,  (b) South Tyneside,  (c) the North East and  (d) the UK in each year since 1997.

Kevin Brennan: Table 1 shows the number of apprenticeship framework achievements from 2003/04 onwards, the earliest year for which comparable data is available.
	
		
			  Table 1: Apprenticeship frameworks achievements, England, 2003/04 to2008/09 
			   2003/04  2004/05  2005/06  2006/07  2007/08  2008/09 
			 Jarrow parliamentary constituency 100 210 250 300 280 380 
			 South Tyneside local authority 200 300 400 600 500 700 
			 North-East region 3,700 5,200 7,200 8,000 7,600 10,000 
			 England 49,300 67,200 98,700 111,800 112,600 143,400 
			  Notes: 1. Figures for Jarrow parliamentary constituency are rounded to the nearest ten. All other figures are rounded to the nearest hundred. 2. Figures for England include learners studying in England, but who are resident outside of England e.g. Scotland. 3. Figures are based upon home postcode of the learner.  Source: Individualised Learner Record 
		
	
	Information on the number of apprenticeship starts by parliamentary constituency, local authority, Government Office Region and for England is published in a quarterly statistical first release (SFR). The latest SFR was published on 17 December, and re-issued on 21 January to include provisional national estimates of the number of apprenticeship starts and achievements in the first quarter of 2009/10:
	http://www.thedataservice.org.uk/statistics/sfrdec09.

Apprentices

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what recent steps he has taken to encourage young people to undertake apprenticeships in Coventry.

Kevin Brennan: The National Apprenticeship Service (NAS) has responsibility for the delivery of apprenticeships and provides a single point of contact for employers and apprentices, and across the West Midlands is working with employers to increase the number of people starting and completing apprenticeships.
	We are taking a wide range of measures to increase the number of people taking up an apprenticeship and to encourage more employers to offer high quality places. We have increased spending to over £1 billion in 2009-10. Apprenticeship starts in Coventry increased from 1,000 in 2003/04, to 1,600 in 2008/09. Nationally, apprenticeship starts increased from 65,000 in 1996/97 to a record 240,000 in 2008/09.

Apprentices

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps he has taken to increase coordination between training providers, businesses, schools and further education establishments on providing information on apprenticeships.

Kevin Brennan: In April 2009 we launched the National Apprenticeship Service which is now responsible for end-to-end delivery of apprenticeships, and leads the co-ordination of all parties engaged in them, unproved co-ordination measures to date have included:
	Working with schools to ensure that young people (and their carers/parents) are aware of the features and benefits of apprenticeships, and to encourage young people to register on the apprenticeship vacancies on line system. This includes developing a new schools resource pack on apprenticeships for those delivering information, advice and guidance.
	Local authorities and Connexions Partnerships working jointly to develop and organise events that co-ordinate activity across partner organisations including FE colleges and private training providers to engage apprentices, parents and employers.
	Education and Business Partnerships reviewing and sharing information about their respective employer accounts enabling access to material to promote apprenticeships in addition to their own programmes.
	Working with the Association of Colleges to improve links between FE and apprenticeships within their institutions.

Apprentices

Richard Benyon: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what mechanisms are in place for the allocation of funding to training providers under the scheme for apprentices over the age of 19 years after 1 April 2010; and how much such funding he plans to provide in each of the next three years.

Kevin Brennan: The Skills Funding Agency will have responsibility for the funding for apprenticeships for those aged 19 or over from 1 April 2010. Payments will be made in line with the approach currently used by the Learning and Skills Council (LSC).
	Each training organisation will discuss and agree their Maximum Contract Value (MCV) for the following academic year with their account manager. Discussions for 2010-11 academic year are currently underway. Training organisations will be paid monthly in arrears based on delivery within agreed MCVs.
	Planned investment through the Skills Funding Agency for apprenticeships aged 19 or over in the 2009-10 financial year is £389.9 million, increasing to £398.4 million in the 2010-11 financial year. Investment for the 2011-12 financial year and beyond will not be finalised until the outcomes of the next Spending Review have been determined.

Apprentices: Milton Keynes

Mark Lancaster: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what estimate he has made of the number of apprenticeships which will be taken up by people over 24 years old in Milton Keynes in the next five years.

Kevin Brennan: Information on projected apprenticeship volumes is not available by local authority.
	In 2008/09, there were 280 apprenticeship starts by learners aged 25 and over in Milton Keynes local authority.
	Nationally, in our Skills Strategy (Skills for Growth, November 2009) we promised to boost Advanced and Higher Apprenticeship opportunities for 19 to 30-year-olds.
	 Notes
	1. Figures for local authority are rounded to the nearest 10.
	2. This figure is based on age at start of programme and upon the home postcode of the learner.

Broadband: North West

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what estimate he has made of the proportion of households in  (a) Lancashire and  (b) the North West which will have broadband internet access after the Universal Service Commitment has been fulfilled in 2012.

Stephen Timms: We have not carried out a specific estimate of the areas in question. Our ambition is to ensure a service is available to all households and businesses in the UK. There may be some areas which for technical reasons prove prohibitively expensive to serve using any technologies but I expect these to be fewer than 1 per cent. of households and businesses. These premises-if any-will be identified through the tender process.

Data Protection: EC Law

Annette Brooke: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills pursuant to the answer of 19 January 2010,  Official Report, column 267W, on internet privacy, what the results were of his recent discussions on revisions to the E-privacy Directive 2002/58/EC.

Stephen Timms: My predecessor, the Lord Carter, met with his European counterparts and the European Commission as part of the discussion and negotiations on the telecommunication framework. The final results of these negotiations were published in the Official Journal of the European Union on 18 December 2009.
	The Department for Business Innovation and Skills (BIS) is now undertaking the process of transposing the directive into UK law. This has to be completed by 25 May 2011.
	Stakeholder consultation on implementing the revisions of the E-privacy Directive (2002.58/EC) will take place later in 2010.

Digital Broadcasting: Radio

Peter Luff: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills pursuant to the answer of 6 January 2010,  Official Report, columns 420-21W, on digital broadcasting: radio, whether the notice period constitutes the time during which the programme making and special events sector has been able to replace equipment due to be rendered redundant with alternatives that will be usable beyond 2012; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Timms: Ofcom is responsible for the assignment of radio frequencies. The notice period runs from when Ofcom notifies Programme Making and Special Events users that they would have to vacate the channels that they were using.

Employment: Contracts

Jim Cousins: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what estimate he has made of the number of employees who were employed on  (a) short-term contracts,  (b) fixed-term appointments and  (c) an agency supply basis in each region in (i) 2006, (ii) 2007, (iii) 2008 and (iv) 2009, broken down by (A) full-time and (B) part-time workers.

Ian Lucas: holding answer 29 January 2010
	The information requested is as follows.
	 (a) The estimates of the number of employees who were employed on short-term contracts is not collected centrally.
	 (b) The estimates of the number of employees who were employed on fixed-term appointments from the ONS' Annual Population Survey (APS) are provided in the following table by region and full-time or part-time status for the calendar years 2006, 2007 and 2008. Full information for 2009 is not yet available.
	
		
			  Fixed-period/term workers by region and full-time/part-time status 
			   2006  2007  2008 
			   Full-time  Part-time  Total  Full-time  Part-time  Total  Full-time  Part-time  Total 
			 England 324,000 183,000 507,000 303,000 174,000 478,000 292,000 175,000 467,000 
			 North East 21,000 * 30,000 22,000 * 32,000 21,000 * 28,000 
			 North West 45,000 22,000 67,000 41,000 23,000 65,000 39,000 19,000 58,000 
			 Yorks and Humber 34,000 18,000 52,000 28,000 17,000 45,000 26,000 20,000 45,000 
			 East Midlands 23,000 18,000 40,000 21,000 16,000 36,000 17,000 18,000 34,000 
			 West Midlands 23,000 16,000 39,000 24,000 13,000 37,000 22,000 15,000 37,000 
			 East 30,000 21,000 51,000 31,000 20,000 52,000 38,000 23,000 61,000 
			 London 62,000 27,000 89,000 59,000 27,000 87,000 60,000 23,000 83,000 
			 South East 56,000 33,000 90,000 49,000 29,000 78,000 43,000 30,000 73,000 
			 South West 31,000 19,000 50,000 28,000 19,000 46,000 27,000 19,000 46,000 
			   
			 Wales 22,000 11,000 33,000 23,000 12,000 34,000 20,000 12,000 31,000 
			 Scotland 40,000 23,000 63,000 41,000 24,000 66,000 38,000 18,000 56,000 
			 Northern Ireland * * 14,000 * * 13,000 * * 14,000 
			 UK 394,000 223,000 617,000 376,000 215,000 591,000 359,000 209,000 568,000 
			 * = Reliable figures are not available due to small sample sizes.  Source: ONS' Annual Population Survey (January to December). Numbers rounded to nearest thousand 
		
	
	 (c) The best estimate of employees who were employed on an agency supply basis comes from BIS' Survey of Recruitment Agencies (SORA) 2007 and the Recruitment and Employment Confederation (REC) 'Census' 2006. Together they estimate there are around 1.3 million agency workers in the UK. ONS' Annual Population Survey (APS) own estimate of around 250,000 is known to underestimate the number of agency workers.
	Detailed information based on the SORA/REC estimate is not available. However, the following table splits this estimate by region and full-time or part-time status using the proportions from the latest APS in order to provide some indication of the scale at a sub national level.
	
		
			  Agency workers by region and full-time/part-time status 
			   Full-time  Part-time  Total 
			 England 785,000 373,000 1,158,000 
			 North East 38,000 15,000 53,000 
			 North West 98,000 34,000 133,000 
			 Yorks and Humber 90,000 45,000 134,000 
			 East Midlands 94,000 38,000 132,000 
			 West Midlands 67,000 45,000 112,000 
			 East 103,000 32,000 135,000 
			 London 140,000 53,000 193,000 
			 South East 106,000 70,000 176,000 
			 South West 48,000 41,000 90,000 
			 
			 Wales 35,000 * 43,000 
			 Scotland 56,000 20,000 76,000 
			 Northern Ireland 16,000 * 23,000 
			 
			 UK 892,000 408,000 1,300,000 
			 * = Reliable figures are not available due to small sample sizes.  Source: ONS' Annual Population Survey (April 2008 to March 2009) proportions are applied to 1.3 million agency workers estimated by BIS' Survey of Recruitment Agencies (SORA) 2007 and the Recruitment and Employment Confederation (REC) 'Census' 2006

Export Credit Guarantees

Jim Cousins: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills with reference to the answer of 12 June 2000,  Official Report, column 464W, on ECGD, if he will break down the figures for the financial years  (a) 1999-2000,  (b) 2000-01,  (c) 2001-02,  (d) 2002-03,  (e) 2003-04,  (f) 2004-05,  (g) 2005-06,  (h) 2006-07,  (i) 2007-08 and  (j) 2008-09 by country.

Ian Lucas: Details of the information being sought have not been provided by country as to do so would potentially reveal information that is commercially confidential or be prejudicial to international relations or both. However, aggregate information in respect of each of the years is provided in the following table. Information about recoveries received in respect of claims paid has not been provided as ECGD is unable to disaggregate recoveries as between civil and defence business that are received under multilaterally agreed Paris Club debt rescheduling agreements. ECGD does not hold a breakdown of interest rate support costs by country or sector; such information could be produced only at disproportionate cost.
	
		
			  £ million 
			   Premium e arned  Claims p aid 
			 1999-2000 24.87 152.00 
			 2000-2001 72.07 179.00 
			 2001-2002 9.28 125.00 
			 2002-2003 33.58 99.00 
			 2003-2004 25.05 69.00 
			 2004-2005 18.80 nil 
			 2005-2006 16.34 nil 
			 2006-2007 29.25 nil 
			 2007-2008 34.49 nil 
			 2008-2009 0.75 nil 
			  Note: Claims paid do not relate to premium earned in the same year. The claims relate to exports supported many years previously; the premiums were earned at the time ECGD came on risk for the exports in question.

Further Education: Finance

David Evennett: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what recent assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the funding formulae for further education courses.

Kevin Brennan: Our current funding system for provision for further education (FE) and skills has three models: 16 to 18-year-old learners: Adult Learner Responsive and Employer Responsive. This new funding model was adopted in the 2008/09 academic year following extensive consultation with schools, FE colleges and other training organisations.
	To assess the possible impact of the new system on the diversity of learners, particularly with regard to gender, race and disability, the Learning and Skills Council (LSC) commissioned a single equality impact assessment review in November 2007. This review found no evidence of direct discrimination as result of the design or implementation of the changes to the funding system. To evaluate the operational impact of demand-led funding after its first year of funding, the LSC Board has commissioned an independent review. This will evaluate views of FE colleges and training organisations who deliver provision for learners aged 16 and over. It will also look at national datasets to assess what effect the new funding system may have had on volumes and types of learner. The review is ongoing and is expected to report in the spring.

Graduates: Vocational Training

Tim Farron: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what estimate he has made of the cost per head of providing training for all graduates under the age of 24 years who have been unemployed for at least six months.

Jim Knight: I have been asked to reply.
	The training elements of the Graduate Guarantee will be delivered through the work-focused training parts of the Six Month Offer and Young Person's Guarantee, the average costs of which are estimated to be £1,100 and £1,500, respectively.
	Training typically lasts between eight and 26 weeks.

Greenwich University

Andrew MacKinlay: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what assessment has been made of the capacity of the University of Greenwich to find suitable teaching placements for its Diploma in Teaching in the Lifelong Learning Sector for students; and if he will make a statement.

Kevin Brennan: To be able to deliver a DTLLS course, the university of Greenwich will have had to gain endorsement for their course by Standards Verification UK (SVUK), the body responsible for the verification of Further Education Initial Teacher Training qualifications.
	A core requirement for a DTLLS course, without which endorsement by SVUK would not be granted, is that there must be provision for a minimum of 150 hours of teaching practice. No one can complete their DTLLS qualification without undergoing appropriate and satisfactory teaching practice.
	Placements for those undertaking DTLLS are negotiated on an ongoing basis by the university delivering the course with the FE and other education providers in their surrounding areas.

Higher Education

Frank Field: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills whether  (a) the Secretary of State and  (b) Ministers in his Department have discussed with the Higher Education Funding Council for England a timetable to take forward its six proposals for new higher education centres under its University Challenge initiative.

David Lammy: As set out in Higher Ambitions, we are committed to the enhancement of locally accessible higher education through a new University Challenge initiative. In October last year, HEFCE announced that six further outline proposals could be taken forward, including one in the Wirral. The timing for submission of full business cases will be decided in the context of the next spending review.

Higher Education: Part-time Education

Jim Cousins: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills how many part-time students have registered for a higher education course at  (a) Newcastle College,  (b) Northumbria University and  (c) Newcastle University in each year since 2006.

David Lammy: The numbers of part-time entrants to Northumbria university and Newcastle university in each year since 2006 are provided in the table. Information for part-time entrants to Newcastle college is not available.
	
		
			  Part-time entrants( 1)  to Northumbria university and Newcastle university, academic years 2006/07 to 2008/09 
			  Academic year  Northumbria  u niversity  Newcastle  u niversity 
			 2006/07 4,965 620 
			 2007/08 5,205 705 
			 2008/09 5,475 675 
			 (1) Covers entrants of all ages and domiciles to postgraduate and undergraduate courses.  Notes: 1. Figures are based on a HESA Standard Registration Population. 2. Figures have been rounded to the nearest five.  Source: Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) Student Record

National Vocational Qualifications

Alan Keen: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what the five most popular NVQ level 4 qualifications were in the latest period for which figures are available.

David Lammy: NVQ level 4 courses are offered by English higher education institutions and further education colleges, as well as in the workplace. The five NVQ level 4 courses with the highest numbers of enrolments at English higher education institutions are provided in table 1. Figures are for the 2008/09 academic year.
	The five Learning and Skills Council-funded NVQ level 4 courses with the highest numbers of enrolments are provided in table 2. These figures are provisional and cover the 2008/09 academic year.
	Note that the course classifications used by HESA and the LSC are different and so it is not possible to combine the figures in tables 1 and 2.
	
		
			  Table 1: NVQ level 4 enrolments( 1)  by subject of study: English higher education institutions academic year 2008/09 
			  Subject of study  Enrolments 
			 Business studies 2,775 
			 Others in social studies 2,325 
			 Academic studies in education 2,205 
			 Social work 1,740 
			 Others in biological sciences 1,735 
			 (1) Covers students of all ages enrolled on full-time and part-time courses. Notes: 1. Figures are based on HESA Standard Registration Population. 2. Figures are rounded to the nearest five.  Source: Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 2: LSC-funded NVQ level 4 enrolments in England academic year 2008/091 
			  Learning Aim  Total 
			 NVQ in Accounting 8,800 
			 NVQ in Health and Social Care 4,800 
			 NVQ in Management 3,000 
			 NVQ in Children's Care, Learning and Development 2,300 
			 NVQ in Leadership and Management for Care Services 2,100 
			 (1) Figures for the 2008/09 academic year are provisional.  Notes: 1. Includes aims studied at colleges and other providers through FE and Train to Gain (TTG). LSC: Learning and Skills Council 2. Figures are rounded to the nearest 100.  Source: Learner Responsive and Employer Responsive (Train to Gain) Individualised Learner Record

Overseas Trade: Kazakhstan

Fabian Hamilton: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what the monetary value of trade between the UK and Kazakhstan was in each of the last three years.

Ian Lucas: Data on recorded trade in goods with Kazakhstan are shown in the following table:
	
		
			  £ million 
			   UK exports of goods to Kazakhstan  UK imports of goods from Kazakhstan 
			 2006 206 82 
			 2007 297 200 
			 2008 209 112 
			 2009(1) 244 159 
			 (1 )January to November.  Source: HMRC Overseas Trade Statistics 
		
	
	Consistent estimates of trade in services are not available for the full three years. ONS data published in the UK Balance of Payments Pink Book 2009 were:
	
		
			  £ million 
			   UK exports of services to Kazakhstan  UK imports of services from Kazakhstan 
			 2007 894 402 
			 2008 915 363

Overseas Trade: Kazakhstan

Fabian Hamilton: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what barriers to increasing trade between the UK and Kazakhstan his Department has identified.

Ian Lucas: The UK has worked closely with the European Commission, business and EU member states in identifying key market access barriers to trade with Kazakhstan as part of the EU's Market Access Strategy. The department has also been following the process of Kazakhstan's WTO accession process as an avenue for improving market access for UK business.
	While we are working to reduce the negative impact of several market access problems, Kazakhstan offers many good opportunities for UK companies to do profitable business. UKTI is actively exploring the potential in the energy, education and financial services sectors.

Overseas Trade: Kazakhstan

Fabian Hamilton: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills which 10 UK companies had the highest monetary value of trade with Kazakhstan in each of the last three years.

Ian Lucas: For reasons of commercial and statistical confidentiality, neither HM Revenue and Customs nor the Office for National Statistics publish details of the value of trade for individual companies.

Risk and Regulation Advisory Council: Public Relations

Nick Hurd: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills pursuant to the answer of 8 December 2009,  Official Report, column 344W, on Risk and Regulation Advisory Council: public relations, for what reasons departmental officials were not used to undertake the work undertaken under the contracts with external public relations firms.

Ian Lucas: The Risk and Regulation Advisory Council (RRAC) was set up as an independent ad hoc advisory body. The small support team within the Strategic Policy Analysis Group in BERR (now BIS) did not have the resources or specialist knowledge required to manage communications and public relations in-house. The use of internal (BERR) resources was not a viable option, as it would compromise the RRAC's independence. As an advisory body independent of government, the RRAC could not have public relations and communications support handled by Government communications and press offices.

Telecommunications

Tom Watson: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills if he will assess the ability of third party services to provide access to next generation and mobile networks.

Stephen Timms: Regulation of access to communications networks is a matter for the regulator, Ofcom. The Government would expect all networks built using public funds to conform to an open access model to enable third parties to offer services.

Trade: Developing Countries

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what assessment he has made of the prospects for agreement in the Doha trade round.

Ian Lucas: At the Pittsburgh summit in September G20 leaders renewed their commitment to conclude the Doha Development Agenda (DDA) in 2010, and instructed Ministers to take stock of the situation no later than early 2010. At the World Trade Office (WTO) regular ministerial meeting in Geneva in December, Ministers reaffirmed their commitment to conclude the round in 2010 and for a stock take in the first quarter of the year. Discussions are continuing among senior officials at the WTO. Pascal Lamy, the WTO director general, has said that the format and content of the stock take has yet to be decided. Much will be dependent on progress between now and then.
	The Government remain fully committed to an ambitious, pro-development outcome to the Doha round. We will continue to work closely with our EU and international partners to conclude the round as early as possible.

Train to Gain Programme: Devon

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills 
	(1)  how many residents of  (a) Devon and  (b) Torbay constituency who have registered for Train to Gain courses have not yet commenced their training;
	(2)  how many people resident in  (a) Devon and  (b) Torbay constituency have successfully completed a Train to Gain course.

Kevin Brennan: Information is not collected centrally on the number of learners who have registered for a Train to Gain course but have not yet started their training.
	Table 1 shows the number of Train to Gain Achievements in Devon local authority and Torbay parliamentary constituency in 2008/09.
	
		
			  Table 1: Train to Gain Achievements, 2008/09 
			   Number of Achievements 
			 Devon local authority 6,200 
			 Torbay parliamentary constituency 1,070 
			  Notes:  1. The figure for Torbay parliamentary constituency is rounded to the nearest 10. The figure for Devon local authority is rounded to the nearest hundred.  2. Figures are based upon home postcode of the learner.   Source: Individualised Learner Record. 
		
	
	Information on the number of Train to Gain starts and achievements is published in a quarterly statistical first release (SFR). The latest SFR was published on 17 December, and re-issued on 21 January to include provisional national estimates of the number of Train to Gain starts and achievements in the first quarter of 2009/10:
	http://www.thedataservice.org.uk/statistics/sfrdec09
	Supplementary table 7 shows Train to Gain starts and achievements by parliamentary constituency, local authority and Government office region.

Vocational Training: Preston

Mark Hendrick: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what record his Department holds of the number of women in Preston who have visited an information and communications technology training centre in order to gain return to work skills in each year since 1997.

Kevin Brennan: Table 1 shows participation by females in LSC-funded learning, within the information and communications technology (ICT) sector subject area. Information is given from 2005/06 onwards, the earliest year for which we have comparable information.
	Information is not available on the number of learners who have visited an ICT training centre.
	
		
			  Table 1: Females on courses in the information and communications technology sector subject area, Preston parliamentary constituency 
			   Further education enrolments  Apprenticeship starts  Train to gain starts 
			 2005/06 6140 (1)- 10 
			 2006/07 4770 (1)- 10 
			 2007/08 4510 (1)- 10 
			 2008/09(2) 4240 (1)- 20 
			 (1)Figure of less than five (2) Provisional.  Source: Individualised learner record  Notes: 1. FE and train to gain figures for 2008/09 are not directly comparable to earlier years as the introduction of demand led funding has changed how data is collected and how funded learners are defined from 2008/09 onwards. More information on demand led funding is available at: http://www.lsc.gov.uk/providers/funding-policy/demand-led-funding.htm. 2. Figures are rounded to the nearest ten. 3. Figures for Preston parliamentary constituency are based on home postcode of the learner. 4. Figures for further education include further education, adult and community learning, University for Industry. 5. Figures for further education are based on aims/enrolments-an aim will be counted in every year for which a learner is participating on that course. A learner may participate on more than one aim.

CHILDREN, SCHOOLS AND FAMILIES

Capital Investment: Gloucestershire

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how much capital funding his Department has allocated in respect of Gloucestershire in each year since 1997.

Vernon Coaker: Schools capital funding allocated by the Department to Gloucestershire in each year since 1997 is set out in the following table.
	
		
			   £ million 
			 1997-98 7.9 
			 1998-99 7.0 
			 1999-2000 12.9 
			 2000-01 26.9 
			 2001-02 26.6 
			 2002-03 32.6 
			 2003-04 35.4 
			 2004-05 45.0 
			 2005-06 34.6 
			 2006-07 69.0 
			 2007-08 42.7 
			 2008-09 36.1 
			 2009-10 53.3 
		
	
	The allocation of £69.0 million in 2006-07 includes £29.2 million for a One School Pathfinder for the Building Schools for the Future programme. The allocation of £52.8 million in 2009-10 includes £5.9 million brought forward from 2010-11.
	Prior to 2004-05, the only capital funding allocation to Gloucestershire for children, families or youth provision other than schools was a grant of £2.3 million in 1999-2000 to develop the local Sure Start local programme up to 2005-06. The allocations from 2004-05 onwards are in the following table.
	
		
			  £ million 
			   2004-05  2005-06  2006-07  2007-08  2008-09  2009-10 
			 Sure Start 0.10 1.28 0.75 4.71 3.00 2.16 
			 Facilities for short breaks for disabled children 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.23 0.53 
			 Parental information and support 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.34 0.00 
			 Play facilities 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.53 0.60 
			 Integration of Children's Services 0.07 0.12 0.11 0.15 0.04 0.04 
			 New Places for 16 to 19 year-olds 0.00 0.00 0.00 7.80 9.40 0.00 
			 Youth facilities 0.00 0.00 0.25 0.28 0.25 0.25

Chorley

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families if he will set out, with statistical information as closely related to Chorley constituency as possible, the effect on that constituency of the policies of his Department and its predecessors since 1997.

Vernon Coaker: Since 1997 the Government have transformed education and childcare with improved outcomes for children and young people. Figures showing the improvement in performance at key stage 2 and at GCSE and equivalents in Chorley are given in the following tables:
	
		
			  Key stage 2 results of 11 year old pupils attending schools in the Chorley constituency 
			  Percentage of pupils gaining level 4 and above 
			   1997  2009( 3)  Percentage point improvement 1997 to 2009 
			  Chorley
			 English(1) 71 85 14 
			 Maths(1) 73 84 11 
			 Science(1) 78 91 13 
			 
			  England
			 English(2) 63 80 17 
			 Maths(2) 62 79 17 
			 Science(2) 68 88 20 
			 (1) Pupils attending schools in Streatham constituency (2) The average for all schools in England (3) Revised data 
		
	
	
		
			  GCSE and equivalents( 1)  results for pupils( 2)  attending schools in the Chorley constituency 
			  Percentage of pupils gaining :  1997  2009( 3)  Percentage point improvement 1997 to 2009 
			  Chorley
			 5+ A* - C 53.7 75.3 21.6 
			 5+ A* - G 91.6 95.3 3.7 
			  National average
			 5+ A* - C 45.1 70.0 24.9 
			 5+ A* - G 86.4 92.3 5.9 
			 (1) From 2004 results incorporate GCSEs, GNVQs and a range of other qualifications approved pre-16. Prior to 2004 results are based on GCSEs and GNVQs only. (2) From 2006 figures are for pupils at the end of key stage 4. Prior to 2006 results are based on pupils aged 15. (3) Revised data. 
		
	
	Further information by constituency is provided within the Department's 'In Your Area' website available at:
	http://www.dfes.gov.uk/inyourarea
	Information available at constituency level includes the number of specialist schools, number of operational academies, number of teaching assistants and other support staff, number of teachers and pupil:teacher ratios. Where information is not available at constituency level it has been provided at local authority level.
	Additional information could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Class Sizes

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many pupils were being educated in schools of more than  (a) 400,  (b) 500,  (c) 600 and  (d) 700 pupils in (i) 1997 and (ii) 2003.

Vernon Coaker: The requested information is shown in the following table.
	
		
			  All schools: number of pupils by size of school( 1)  as at January each year-in England 
			   Pupils attending all schools  Pupils attending schools with 400 pupils  % of pupils attending schools with 400 pupils  Pupils attending schools with 500 pupils  % of pupils attending schools with 500 pupils  Pupils attending schools with 600 pupils  % of pupils attending schools with 600 pupils  Pupils attending schools with 700 pupils  % of pupils attending schools with 700 pupils 
			  1997  
			 Maintained Nursery 50,840 0 0.0 0 0.0 0 0.0 0 0.0 
			 Maintained Primary(2) 4,429,040 970,770 21.9 310,750 7.0 101,000 2.3 31,930 0.7 
			 State-funded Secondary(2,3) 3,056,870 2,960,740 96.9 2,846,730 93.1 2,661,100 87.1 2,411,380 78.9 
			 Maintained Special(4) 93,020 0 0.0 0 0.0 0 0.0 0 0.0 
			 Non-Maintained Special 5,230 0 0.0 0 0.0 0 0.0 0 0.0 
			 Pupil Referral Units 7,530 0 0.0 0 0.0 0 0.0 0 0.0 
			 Independent(5) 552,440 274,620 49.7 227,220 41.1 195,360 35.4 154,680 28.0 
			   
			  2003  
			 Maintained Nursery 40,480 0 0.0 0 0.0 0 0.0 0 0.0 
			 Maintained Primary(2) 4,309,030 1,060,190 24.6 320,290 7.4 136,120 3.2 42,440 1.0 
			 State-funded Secondary(2,3) 3,328,270 3,269,490 98.2 3,197,030 96.1 3,081,230 92.6 2,901,790 87.2 
			 Maintained Special(4) 88,930 0 0.0 0 0.0 0 0.0 0 0.0 
			 Non-Maintained Special 4,950 0 0.0 0 0.0 0 0.0 0 0.0 
			 Pupil Referral Units 12,010 500 4.1 0 0.0 0 0.0 0 0.0 
			 Independent(5) 583,100 317,040 54.4 256,040 43.9 214,550 36.8 176,860 30.3 
			 (1) Includes solely registered pupils and pupils with other providers (Pupil Referral Units only). (2) Includes middle schools as deemed. (3) Includes City Technology Colleges and Academies. (4) Includes General Hospital Schools. (5) Includes Direct Grant nurseries.  Note: Pupil numbers have been rounded to the nearest 10.  Source: School Census

Education Maintenance Allowance

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many students in  (a) England,  (b) the North East and  (c) Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland constituency in further education have received education maintenance allowance in each year since the allowance was introduced.

Iain Wright: This is a matter for the Learning and Skills Council (LSC) who operate the education maintenance allowance (EMA) for the Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF). Geoff Russell, the LSC's acting chief executive, will write to my hon. Friend for Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland with the information requested and a copy of his reply will be placed in the House Libraries.

GCE A-Level

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families pursuant to the answer of 6 January 2010,  Official Report, column 462W, on GCE A-level, what the threshold for disclosure is.

Iain Wright: holding answer 12 January 2010
	In DCSF Statistical First Releases on Key Stage 5 and A levels, figures of two pupils fewer are suppressed. That convention is followed and applied for Key Stage 5 parliamentary questions.

GCE A-Level: Children in Care

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families pursuant to the answer of 3 December 2009,  Official Report, columns 914-5W, on educational attainment: children in care, for what reasons his Department does not collect information on A-level examination attempts and achievements for looked-after children.

Vernon Coaker: holding answer 10 December  2009
	Information about the A level achievements of looked after children has never been part of any national data collection. As part of the Government's determination to improve outcomes for looked after children, the first data collection on education outcomes for looked after children of compulsory school age was published in 2001. This collected information on the educational achievements of children looked after for 12 months or more as at 30 September at key stages 1 to 3 and for GCSE and GNVQs at key stage 4. The emphasis has been on improving the educational achievement of looked after children who are of compulsory school age. Collecting data on the achievement of looked after children of compulsory school age has been key in measuring how well local authorities support the education of the children they look after and in making sure that they prioritise the importance of promoting the educational achievement of this group of children.
	In recent years, we have been working on a project looking at a new data source for the attainment of looked after children, which matches child level data on looked after children from local authorities to the National Pupil Database. This source will provide us with more detailed information on the attainment of looked after children and will also give us the opportunity to extend the coverage to other groups not covered by the previous data source.
	In November the Department published analysis of this new data source as experimental statistics in the release, 'Bridging Series for Outcomes for Looked After Children: Comparison of Data from Matched Administrative Source with Current Aggregate Source':
	http://www.dcsf.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB/STR/d000894/index.shtml
	The Bridging Series publication is designed to pave the way for a change in the data source for the attainment of looked after children. We will not be using the new matched data source to monitor the attainment of looked after children until 2010. These figures are published as experimental statistics and should therefore be treated with caution. They have been released to allow users to comment on the new data source and methodology before being adopted fully as official statistics.
	This publication contains figures on the attainment in compulsory education only as the initial focus was to consider whether the source could be used as a replacement for the previous OC2 collection. Once we have completed consultation on this new source and adopted these figures as official statistics, we plan to explore other uses of these data, which may include attainment beyond compulsory education.

GCSE

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what proportion of students achieved five or more GCSEs at grade C or higher reckoned by  (a) grades achieved in GCSE qualifications and  (b) all grades achieved in GCSE qualifications and other accredited qualifications equivalent to a GCSE in each year since 1990; and if he will make a statement.

Vernon Coaker: Prior to 1997 the Department included only achievements in full course GCSEs in the five or more GCSEs at grade C or higher measure.
	
		
			  Percentage of pupils achieving 5 or more A*-C grades in: 
			   GCSEs only  GCSEs and equivalents 
			 1990 34.5 - 
			 1991 36.8 - 
			 1992 38.3 - 
			 1993 41.2 - 
			 1994 43.3 - 
			 1995 43.5 - 
			 1996 44.5 - 
			 1997 45.1 45.1 
			 1998 46.2 46.3 
			 1999 47.7 47.9 
			 2000 48.8 49.2 
			 2001 49.4 50.0 
			 2002 50.2 51.6 
			 2003 50.0 52.9 
			 2004 51.2 53.7 
			 2005 53.2 56.8 
			 2006 53.9 59.0 
			 2007 54.6 61.4 
			 2008 56.7 65.3 
			 2009 57.5 69.7 
			  Notes: 1. Column headed GCSE only Prior to 1997 is full course GCSEs From 1997 onwards also includes GCSE short courses. From 2004 onwards also includes vocational GCSE single and double awards. 2. Column headed GCSEs and equivalents Includes everything in the GCSE only column-plus From 1997 to 2003 GNVQs are counted as equivalents. From 2004 onwards all accredited level 2 equivalents are counted as equivalents. A full list can be found here: http://www.accreditedqualifications.org.uk 3. Figures from 2005 onwards relate to pupils at the end of key stage 4 in all schools. Figures prior to 2005 relate to 15yearolds (age at start of academic year, i.e. 31 August) in all schools.  Source: Achievement and Attainment Table data

GCSE

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many and what percentage of students achieved five or more A* grades at GCSE in  (a) independent and  (b) comprehensive schools in (i) 2003, (ii) 2005 and (iii) 2007.

Vernon Coaker: The figures requested are given in the following table:
	
		
			  Number and percentage of students who achieved five or more A* grades at GCSE in selected years 
			   Comprehensive Schools  Independent Schools 
			   Number  Percentage  Number  Percentage 
			 2003 8,416 1.6 7,441 16.8 
			 2005 10,576 2.0 9,163 19.6 
			 2007 12,094 2.2 9,575 20.5 
		
	
	The 2003 data relate to 15 year-olds at the start of the school year.
	The 2005 and 2007 data relate to pupils at the end of Key Stage 4.

GCSE

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many schools in  (a) Leicester,  (b) the East Midlands and  (c) England did not meet the Government's target for GCSE examination passes in the latest period for which figures are available.

Vernon Coaker: The National Challenge seeks to ensure that by 2011, at least 30 per cent. of pupils in every school achieve five GCSEs at grades A*-C including English and mathematics. As listed in the achievement and attainment tables, the 2009 GCSE results show that  (a) three schools in Leicester,  (b) 25 schools in the East Midlands and  (c) 247 schools in England were below this 30 per cent. benchmark. These results confirm that  (a) one school in Leicester,  (b) 22 schools in the East Midlands and (c) 207 schools in England have risen above 30 per cent. since 2008.

GCSE

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what percentage of students who took GCSE examinations in 2009 failed by one mark to achieve their predicted grade in  (a) Leicester,  (b) the East Midlands and  (c) England.

Iain Wright: The information requested is not collected centrally.

Languages: Teachers

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many teachers qualified to teach Mandarin are teaching in  (a) primary schools,  (b) secondary schools and  (c) special schools.

Vernon Coaker: Information on the qualifications and subjects taught of primary and special school teachers is not available.

Primary Education: Greater London

Edward Davey: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many representations  (a) he and  (b) Ministers in his Department have received from (i) hon. Members and (ii) London boroughs on the number of primary school places in London in (A) 2008 and (B) 2009; how many (1) requests for meetings each received from and (2) meetings each had with (x) hon. Members with and (y) London boroughs on the matter; and which boroughs were involved in each case.

Vernon Coaker: There are no records from 2008 that the Secretary of State or other Ministers received representations on the number of primary school places in London or requests to discuss the matter, nor that meetings with hon. Members or with representatives of London boroughs to discuss this matter took place.
	In 2009, there were two Westminster Hall debates which were relevant: on 3 March 2009,  Official Report, columns 207-30WH, the hon. Member secured a debate on Primary School Places (London) to which the then Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State my hon. Friend the Member for Portsmouth, North (Sarah McCarthy-Fry), then a DCSF Minister, responded. On 20 May 2009,  Official Report, columns 426-34WH, the hon. Member for St. Albans (Anne Main) secured a Westminster Hall debate on School Places to which my hon. Friend the Member for Portsmouth, North (Sarah McCarthy-Fry) also responded. There have also been references to the increase in demand for primary places in some areas in written and oral questions during 2009.
	In 2009, the Secretary of State did not have any meetings with hon. Members or London borough representatives in order to discuss primary places. Other DCSF ministers had meetings with hon. Members and officers of London boroughs on four occasions where pressure on primary places in London was a main topic of discussion and on three occasions to discuss the pressure on primary places in authorities outside London. Ministers' practice is to accept requests for meetings but, without incurring disproportionate cost, it is not possible to say with certainty that no requests from hon. Members to DCSF Ministers to discuss this matter were refused. The London boroughs represented at these discussions were Kingston upon Thames, Richmond, Sutton, and Lambeth.
	During 2009, there was correspondence between DCSF ministers and hon. Members, and between DCSF officials and representatives of London boroughs and other authorities in which the pressure on primary places was among the topics covered, but a separate record has not been maintained of the items of correspondence which included mentions of the topic.
	In addition, DCSF officials have on many occasions since the beginning of 2009 discussed primary place pressures and how best to address them through meetings and correspondence with officers of several London boroughs and other authorities; and also with members of representative organisations including the Local Government Association, London Councils, the Association of London Directors of Children's Services and the Association of Directors of Children's Services.

Pupils: Bullying

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what evaluation has been carried out of the effectiveness of his Department's policies to reduce levels of bullying in schools.

Vernon Coaker: The Department is currently conducting research through Goldsmiths college into the effectiveness of all anti-bullying strategies used in schools and recommended by local authorities. This research will provide the necessary quantitative and qualitative data needed to draw robust conclusions about the efficacy of different anti-bullying strategies. The research will also evaluate the Department's pilot of innovative approaches to peer mentoring schemes. The Department will publish the research report in the autumn of 2010.
	This research follows on from our previous evaluation conducted by Price Waterhouse Coopers (PWC) into the work of the Anti-Bullying Alliance (ABA), one of the Department's key delivery partners in the field. PWC's report published in 2007 concluded that the ABA played a crucial role in helping schools and local authorities to access the broad range of available expertise on bullying and their programme of work was broadly aligned to the Department's stated policies and priorities.

Pupils: Per Capita Costs

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what the average per pupil funding was in each local authority in each year since 1997; and if he will make a statement.

Vernon Coaker: The Department has placed the relevant information which shows the per pupil revenue funding figures (in real terms) for pupils aged three to 19 for all local authorities in each year since 1997-98 to 2008-09 in the House Libraries; along with an explanation of how changes in the school funding system over time means that the data are not on a comparable basis across years.

Pupils: Per Capita Costs

Hazel Blears: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what the average per child education spending was in Salford  (a) in 1997 and  (b) in the latest period for which information is available.

Vernon Coaker: The available information is shown in the following table:
	
		
			  Combined LEA and school based expenditure per pupil in Salford ,  1996-97 and 2008-09 
			   Combined LEA and school based expenditure 
			   1996-97  2008-09 
			 England 2,690 5,340 
			
			 Salford 2,630 6,050 
			  Notes: 1. The combined LA and school based expenditure includes all expenditure on the education of children in LA maintained establishments and pupils educated by the LA other than in maintained establishments. This includes both school based expenditure and all elements of central LA expenditure except youth and community and capital expenditure from revenue (CERA). 2. 1999-2000 saw a change in data source when the data collection moved from the R01 form collected by CLG (formerly ODPM) to the section 52 form (now section 251 of the Apprenticeships, Skills, Children and Learning Act 2009) from the DCSF. 2002-03 saw a further break in the time series following the introduction of Consistent Financial Reporting (CFR) and the associated restructuring of the outturn tables. 3. Pupil figures include all pre-primary pupils, including those under fives funded by the LA and being educated in private settings, pupils educated in maintained mainstream schools and other LA maintained pupils. The pupil data for pupils attending maintained nursery, primary, secondary and special schools are taken from the DCSF Annual Schools Census. Private voluntary and independent (PVI) under five pupil numbers are taken from the Early Years census but are only included for 1999-2000 onwards. For 1995-96 onwards other LA maintained pupils are included in the pupil count. This includes all pupils attending schools not maintained by the authority for whom the authority is paying full tuition fees, or educated otherwise than in schools and pupil referral units under arrangements made by the authority drawn from the form 8b submitted to the DCSF. Also included as other LA maintained pupils are all pupils attending pupil referral units who are not registered at a maintained mainstream school drawn from the DCSF Annual Schools Census. All pupil numbers are adjusted to be on a financial year basis.  4. Figures are rounded to the nearest £10 and are in cash terms.

Schools: Buildings

Stephen Hepburn: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how much his Department has spent on school buildings in  (a) primary and  (b) secondary schools in (i) Jarrow constituency, (ii) South Tyneside, (iii) the North East and (iv) nationwide in each year since 2008.

Vernon Coaker: Schools capital funding is allocated on a local authority basis, and a large proportion is prioritised by local authorities between primary and secondary schools. Accordingly, records are not maintained centrally which distinguish between primary and secondary schools, or between constituencies. The following table shows schools capital allocations made so far to South Tyneside and the North East region for the financial years 2008-09 and 2009-10.
	
		
			  £ million 
			   2008-09  2009-10 
			 South Tyneside 8.1 11.0 
			 North East region 142.1 346.8 
		
	
	The large increase in 2009-10 results from:
	(a) a Building Schools for the Future project in Hartlepool worth nearly £110 million;
	(b) for all authorities, the first year of the Primary Capital Programme, worth £55 million to the region in the first year of allocation; and
	(c) a number of projects brought forward as part of the Government's fiscal stimulus.
	Planned school capital allocations for England for the three year period 2008-09 to 2010-11 amount to £21.9 billion, split £6.7 billion for 2008-09, £7.0 billion 2009-10, and £8.2 billion for 2010-11. Local authorities may add to this figure by using revenue reserves for capital purposes.

Schools: Databases

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what estimate he has made of the cost to  (a) his Department of collecting and  (b) schools of collecting and providing data collected centrally in the last year for which information is available; and if he will make a statement.

Vernon Coaker: In the 2009-10 financial year, the estimated cost of collecting data from schools and performing primary analysis leading up to publication of Statistical First Releases is £1,393,200. This figure comprises the administration and programme costs for the Department's central division responsible for data collections, Data Services Group.
	Office for National Statistics advise us that the compliance cost figures for the 2008-09 financial year will not be available until the first quarter of 2010. Hence, the total cost in the 2007-08 financial year to local authorities and schools of collecting and providing those data collected centrally is £6,135,000. This includes both regular and ad-hoc collections and collections about children's services as well as education. We cannot provide a cost for schools separately. This figure was published in the Office for National Statistics 2007-08 Annual Report on Government Statistical Surveys, see URL, page 13, table A7.
	http://www.statistics.gov.uk/downloads/theme_other/GSS-Report1.pdf

Schools: Gloucestershire

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Leominster of 18 January 2010,  Official Report, column 159W, on schools: finance, how many pupils in Gloucestershire are defined as  (a) in urban schools and  (b) in rural schools.

Vernon Coaker: The total number of pupils in rural schools is 26,317 and the total number of pupils in urban schools is 65,127. The Department has placed the relevant information which shows the breakdown of the numbers of pupils in urban and rural schools in Gloucestershire local authority in January 2009 in the House Libraries. Schools have been categorised into urban and rural using the Rural and Urban Classification 2004.

Schools: Greenwich

Clive Efford: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what the average real terms change in expenditure per pupil has been in Greenwich Education Authority  (a) primary schools,  (b) secondary schools and  (c) sixth forms in each of the last five years.

Vernon Coaker: The available information on the average real terms increase in expenditure per pupil in primary and secondary schools in Greenwich education authority is shown in the following table.
	
		
			  School based expenditure per pupil in Greenwich local authority from 2003-04 to 2008-09 
			   Primary education  Secondary education 
			   England  Greenwich  England  Greenwich 
			 2003-04 3,130 3,730 4,030 5,130 
			 2004-05 3,220 3,900 4,200 5,340 
			 2005-06 3,420 4,100 4,420 5,680 
			 2006-07 3,540 4,380 4,560 5,910 
			 2007-08 3,670 4,550 4,730 6,180 
			 2008-09 3,780 4,880 4,890 6,560 
			  
			 Real terms increase since 2003-04 650 1,150 860 1,430 
			  
			 Average real terms increase per year since 2003-04 130 230 170 290 
			  Notes: 1. School based expenditure includes only expenditure incurred directly by the schools. This includes the pay of teachers and school-based support staff, school premises costs, books and equipment, and certain other supplies and services, less any capital items funded from recurrent spending and income from sales, fees and charges and rents and rates. This excludes the central cost of support services such as home to school transport, local authority administration and the financing of capital expenditure. 2. Pupil numbers include only those pupils attending maintained establishments within each sector and are drawn from the DCSF Annual Schools Census adjusted to be on a financial year basis.  3. Cash figures are adjusted to 2008-09 levels using January 2010 GDP deflators. 4. Figures are rounded to the nearest £10. Real terms figures as reported by local authorities as at 26 January 2010. 
		
	
	The Learning and Skills Council is responsible for funding schools sixth forms and FE and sixth form colleges. I have asked the LSC's chief executive, Geoff Russell, to write to my hon. Friend with the information requested for sixth forms and a copy will be placed in the Libraries.

Schools: Greenwich

Clive Efford: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what the capital allocation has been in respect of Greenwich Education Authority  (a) primary schools,  (b) secondary schools and  (c) sixth form centres in each financial year since 1987-88.

Vernon Coaker: Most school capital allocations are prioritised at local authority level, including between primary and secondary schools. Accordingly, no central records are maintained which distinguish between primary and secondary school allocations. Local authority school capital allocation records have been maintained centrally since 1996-97, and school allocations made to Greenwich since this year are set out in the following table:
	
		
			   £ million 
			 1996-97 1.7 
			 1997-98 4.4 
			 1998-99 5.5 
			 1999-2000 4.5 
			 2000-01 7.3 
			 2001-02 8.4 
			 2002-03 12.1 
			 2003-04 46.5 
			 2004-05 18.6 
			 2005-06 72.8 
			 2006-07 17.0 
			 2007-08 16.8 
			 2008-09 200.5 
			 2009-10 103.1 
			 2010-11 20.0 
		
	
	The high allocation figures in 2005-06, 2007-08 and 2008-09 include Building Schools for the Future allocations of £57.2 million, £183.5 million and £76.5 million respectively.
	The Learning and Skills Council allocated capital funding under the 16-19 capital rationalisation fund to Greenwich Education Authority for the establishment of a sixth form centre at Shooters Hill. The amounts allocated were:
	
		
			   £ 
			 2002-03 1,933,700 
			 2003-04 2,417,125 
			 2004-05 2,417,125

Schools: Inspections

Linda Riordan: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many schools have been placed in a category by Ofsted arising from safeguarding issues  (a) in the last 12 months and  (b) each of the previous five years.

Vernon Coaker: This is a matter for Ofsted. HM Chief Inspector, Christine Gilbert, has written to my hon. Friend and a copy of her reply has been placed in the Libraries.
	 Letter from Christine Gilbert, dated 19 January 2010:
	Your recent parliamentary question has been passed to me, as Her Majesty's Chief Inspector, for response.
	Prior to September 2005, section 10 inspections did not contain a discrete judgement on safeguarding and so it is not possible to respond to the question for the period prior to September 2005.
	During the period September 2005 to August 2009 all section 5 inspections made a judgement about the effectiveness of safeguarding procedures. The judgement was either 'yes' or 'no'. Where the safeguarding procedures were judged not to be sufficiently effective, some schools, were placed into a category of concern. However, all of these schools were found to have other, significant, inadequate aspects to their provision and this will have contributed to their inadequate overall effectiveness judgement. It is important to note that the reasons for a school being placed in a category of concern are often complex and may be a result of inadequacies in a number of areas of the school. Safeguarding may be one factor among many which together result in a school being placed in a category of concern.
	Since the revisions to the new school inspection framework introduced in September, 2009, the effectiveness of safeguarding procedures has become a limiting judgement. It is likely therefore that we will be able to give you the specific figures for inspections undertaken after that time, but not until later in the year.
	For the period from September 2009 to December 2009, information about maintained school inspection outcomes cannot be published as official statistics on our website until 17th March 2010.
	A copy of this reply has been sent to Vernon Coaker MP, Minister of State for Schools and Learners, and placed in the library of both Houses.

Schools: Inspections

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what criteria Ofsted uses in appointing school inspectors; and if he will make a statement.

Vernon Coaker: holding answer 18 January 2010
	This is a matter for Ofsted. HM Chief Inspector, Christine Gilbert, has written to my hon. Friend and a copy of her reply has been placed in the Libraries.
	 Letter from Christine Gilbert, dated 20 January 2010:
	Your recent parliamentary question has been passed to me, as Her Majesty's Chief Inspector, for response.
	There are two types of inspectors for schools: Her Majesty's Inspectors (HMI), who work directly for Ofsted; and additional inspectors (AIs), who are employed by Ofsted's inspection service providers (ISPs).
	All inspectors are required to be fit, proper, competent and effective for undertaking their inspection duties. They must have credibility and up-to-date professional knowledge and will normally have gained a degree or an equivalent qualification. They are expected to have appropriate experience, usually drawn from a number of years as a senior manager in an education setting or service such as a headteacher or a local authority adviser. In addition, they need to have competence in the use of IT and a clear enhanced criminal records bureau (CRB) check that is refreshed every three years. Prior to appointment, all inspectors must provide employers' references and participate in a medical assessment to ensure they are fit for the work they are to undertake.
	Inspectors must be able to: gather, analyse and interpret relevant evidence; make objective, fair and evidence-based judgements; communicate clearly both orally and in writing; display high levels of professional conduct; lead others and manage their work effectively to achieve high-quality outcomes.
	All inspectors must uphold the highest professional standards and follow the code of conduct for inspectors at all times.
	A copy of this reply has been sent to Vernon Coaker MP, Minister of State for Schools and Learners and will be placed in the library of both Houses.

Schools: Leeds

John Battle: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what the average  (a) revenue and  (b) capital expenditure was per (i) primary and (ii) secondary pupil in schools in Leeds local education authority areas (A) in cash terms and (B) at current prices in each year since 1992-93.

Vernon Coaker: The available information on the average revenue expenditure per primary and secondary pupil in schools in Leeds local education authority areas are shown in table.
	Capital allocations are made at local authority and school level, and are prioritised by local authorities between schools in accordance with local asset management plans. Accordingly, the Department does not maintain central records of the average primary and secondary school capital spend. Capital allocations to Leeds (a) in cash terms and (b) current prices in each year since the first year in which records are available, are set out in the table:
	
		
			  £ million 
			   Cash  Current 
			 1996-97 8.7 12.1 
			 1997-98 9.2 12.5 
			 1998-99 10.4 13.6 
			 1999-2000 17.3 22.2 
			 2000-01 74.1 92.7 
			 2001-02 26.0 31.8 
			 2002-03 60.2 72.9 
			 2003-04 35.1 41.3 
			 2004-05 72.2 82.6 
			 2005-06 310.4 344.6 
			 2006-07 171.7 184.6 
			 2007-08 77.4 79.7 
			 2008-09 32.6 32.1 
			 2009-10 51.5 51.5 
			  Notes: 1. Index used: RPI 1987=100 all items, mid point in year 2. The allocations of £310.4 million and £171.7 million in 2005-06 and 2006-07 include £143.5 million and £42.2 million respectively for a Building Schools for the Future project.

Schools: Leeds

Fabian Hamilton: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how much has been spent on new school buildings in Leeds North East constituency since 1997.

Vernon Coaker: School capital allocations are allocated at local authority level. Accordingly, no central records are maintained which distinguish between parliamentary constituencies. Similarly as the local authority determines the proportion of resources spent on new school buildings or refurbishment, records are not kept centrally on new school buildings since 1997. School capital allocations to Leeds since 1997 are set out in the following table. Actual expenditure in any financial year may differ due to (a) procurement timing differences (b) other resources that may be available locally (c) priorities set locally.
	
		
			   £ million 
			 1997-98 9.2 
			 1998-99 10.4 
			 1999-2000 17.3 
			 2000-01 74.1 
			 2001-02 26.0 
			 2002-03 60.2 
			 2003-04 35.1 
			 2004-05 72.2 
			 2005-06 310.4 
			 2006-07 171.7 
			 2007-08 77.4 
			 2008-09 32.6 
			 2009-10 51.5 
			 2010-11 29.9 
		
	
	The high allocation figures during the period 2005-06 to 2007-08 include Building Schools for the Future allocations of £352.5 million. The funding spike of £51.5 million in 2009-10 includes a fiscal stimulus advance of £ 5.7 million, brought forward from 2010-11.

Snow and Ice

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what estimate he has made of the costs to his Department arising from the severe weather conditions in the period 4 January to 18 January 2010; and if he will make a statement.

Vernon Coaker: The Department does not anticipate any costs arising from the recent severe weather.
	There is no duty upon schools or local authorities to report to the Department any costs that they may incur.

Social Services: Doncaster

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families on what dates  (a) he,  (b) his predecessors and  (c) Ministers in his Department and its predecessors have visited Doncaster since 1 January 2004.

Diana Johnson: The following Ministers (past and present) of the Department of Children, Schools and Families and its predecessor Departments have made visits to the Doncaster area since 1 January 2004.
	
		
			  Name  Date(s) of visit 
			 Ruth Kelly 5 May 2004 and 9 November 2004 
			 Stephen Twigg 22 September 2004 
			 Lord Filkin 28 January 2005 
			 Lord Adonis 15 July 2005 and 25 April 2007 
			 Ed Balls 13 July 2007 and 12 September 2008 
			 Jim Knight 4 June 2008

Teachers: Salford

Hazel Blears: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many  (a) teachers and  (b) teaching assistants there were in Salford schools (i) in 1997 and (ii) at the latest date for which information is available.

Vernon Coaker: The information requested is published in tables 19 and 26 of the Statistical First Release (SFR) School Workforce in England (including Local Authority level figures) January 2009 (Revised) published on 29 September 2009. The SFR is available at the following web link:
	http://www.dcsf.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB/SFR/s000874/Tables19to27v2.xls

Teachers: Training

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families 
	(1)  how much his Department spent on teacher training for graduates with a degree result lower than second class since 1997;
	(2)  what the lowest degree score required for graduates is to receive tax-payer funded teacher training for  (a) primary and  (b) secondary school teaching;
	(3)  how many graduates with a degree classed lower than second class have received government funding for teacher training since 1997.

Vernon Coaker: The number of postgraduate teacher trainees in their first year of initial teacher training courses with a degree classification lower than second class is given in the table.
	
		
			  Postgraduate trainees in their first year of ITT courses by classification of their first degree: Years: 1998/99 to 2007/08-Coverage: England 
			   Number of first year trainees 
			   2:2 and above  Third and Pass  Unclassified  Total 
			 1998/99 14,680 1,330 670 16,680 
			 1999/2000 14,850 1,250 650 16,740 
			 2000/01 16,180 1,400 620 18,200 
			 2001/02 19,600 1,700 1,230 22,540 
			 2002/03 22,120 2,030 660 24,810 
			 2003/04 25,550 2,300 610 28,450 
			 2004/05 25,720 2,210 610 28,550 
			 2005/06 25,820 2,070 610 28,490 
			 2006/07 25,300 1,790 460 27,550 
			 2007/08 24,360 1,710 630 26,700 
			  Notes: 1. Figures up to and including 2000/01 are mainstream only. This includes universities and other higher education institutions, SCITT and Open University but excludes employment based routes. 2. Figures for 2001/02 and later include trainees on both mainstream and employment based routes to initial teacher training. 3. Includes only those trainees whose qualification on entry was a UK degree. 4. Those training through the Fast Track programme (which ran between 2001/02 and 2005/06) are included. 5. Unclassified includes those cases for whom degree classification was not known or was undefined. 6. Numbers have been rounded to the nearest 10.  Source: TDA's Performance Profiles 
		
	
	Initial teacher training funding is based on allocated places split between the routes into teaching and subject specialism. Information on the amount of direct Government funding relating to trainees by degree class is not held centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost. Most teacher trainees will receive some element of Government funding for their training either through their initial teacher training place being funded by the Training and Development Agency for Schools or being in receipt of a financial incentive or other support.
	Regulation does not require a specific degree classification prior to acceptance for graduate initial teacher training (ITT). Individual training providers have the discretion to make a judgment about whether an individual's qualification demonstrates the breadth and type of academic engagement that would be expected from first degree study. Training providers will make a judgement of whether an applicant has the intellectual and academic capabilities needed to meet the required qualified teacher status (QTS) standards, including whether the applicant will be able to demonstrate evidence of meeting the QTS standards relating to subject and curriculum knowledge. It is possible for an oversubscribed training provider to impose additional requirements on applicants, including requiring a specific minimum degree classification.

Teachers: Training

Andrew MacKinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families whether universities which offer courses in the Diploma in Teaching in the Lifelong Learning Sector (numeracy) programme were expected as a condition of their funding to ensure that students they enrolled would have the opportunity of a teaching placement; and if he will make a statement.

Kevin Brennan: Any university wishing to offer the Diploma to Teach in the Lifelong Learning Sector (DTLLS) qualification must seek endorsement of their course by Standards Verification UK (SVUK)-the body responsible for the verification of Further Education (FE) Initial Teacher Training qualifications.
	One of the core requirements for the DTLLS course is that there must be a minimum of 150 hours of teaching practice. No one can complete their DTLLS qualification without undergoing appropriate and satisfactory teaching practice.
	Placements for those undertaking DTLLS are negotiated on an ongoing basis by the university delivering the course with the FE and other education providers in their surrounding areas.

Teachers: Training

Andrew MacKinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of universities in providing Diploma in Teaching in the Lifelong Learning Sector (DTLLS) teaching placements for students on their DTLLS courses; and if he will make a statement.

Kevin Brennan: A core requirement for a Diploma to Teach in the Lifelong Learning Sector (DTLLS) course, without which endorsement by Standards Verification UK (SVUK), the body responsible for the verification of Further Education (FE) Initial Teacher Training (ITT) qualifications, would not be granted, is that there must be provision for a minimum of 150 hours of teaching practice.
	The quality of FE ITT provision is inspected regularly by Ofsted. In their most recent report on FE ITT, published in February 2009, Ofsted say they
	received positive comments from inspectors about course design and the way they support links between the taught elements and the workplace experience of trainers.

Training and Development Agency for Schools: Finance

Mark Todd: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what assessment he has made of the reason for the cost of the finance function of the Training and Development Agency for Schools referred to in the publication Benchmarking the Back Office: Central Government; and if he will make a statement.

Vernon Coaker: The benchmarking results were based on budgets which contain fundamentally different components. The TDA finance function has a much wider remit than the traditional finance function in many other comparable organisations.
	Nevertheless, the TDA is taking the opportunity of its relocation to Manchester to review the way it provides back office services, including its finance function, and efficiencies will result.

Truancy

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what assessment he has made of trends in truancy rates in (a) Lewes constituency,  (b) East Sussex,  (c) the South East and  (d) England in each year since 1997.

Vernon Coaker: holding answer 10 December 2009
	The available information is shown in the table.
	To provide further constituency level data and information prior to 2003 would incur disproportionate cost.
	
		
			  Primary, secondary and special schools( 1,2,3) -percentage of half days missed due to unauthorised absence 2003/04 to 2007/08( 4,5) 
			  Percentage 
			   Lewes constituency  East Sussex  South East  England 
			 2003/04 n/a 0.95 0.65 0.76 
			 2004/05 n/a 1.04 0.75 0.81 
			 2005/06 n/a 1.09 0.84 0.92 
			 2006/07 n/a 1.12 0.90 1.00 
			 2007/08 1.16 1.17 0.95 1.01 
			 n/a = Not readily available. To provide further information would incur disproportionate cost. (1) Includes middle schools as deemed. (2) Includes maintained secondary schools, city technology colleges and academies (including all-through academies). (3) Includes maintained and non-maintained special schools. Excludes general hospital schools. (4) Figures in italics have been sourced from the Absence in Schools Survey. Other figures are derived from the School Census. (5) The number of sessions missed due to unauthorised absence expressed as a percentage of the total number of possible sessions.  Source: Absence in Schools Survey and School Census(3) 
		
	
	Unauthorised absence is absence without leave from a teacher or other authorised representative of the school. This includes all unexplained or unjustified absences, such as lateness, holidays during term time not authorised by the school, absence where reason is not yet established and truancy.

Truancy: Leeds

Greg Mulholland: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what the unauthorised absence rate was for pupils in Leeds North West constituency in each year since 1997.

Vernon Coaker: Information for selected years is shown in the table.
	To provide information for further years would incur disproportionate cost.
	
		
			  Primary, secondary and special schools( 1,2,3) : Percentage of half days missed due to unauthorised absence 1996-97-2007-08( 4 -) Leeds North West constituency 
			   Percentage of half days missed due to unauthorised absence( 5) 
			 1996-97 0.87 
			 1999-2000 0.70 
			 2003-04 0.72 
			   
			 2007-08 1.52 
			 (1) Includes middle schools as deemed. (2) Includes maintained secondary schools, city technology colleges and academies (including all-through academies). (3) Includes maintained and non maintained special schools. Excludes general hospital schools. (4) Figures prior to 2007-08 have been sourced from the Absence in Schools Survey. Other figures are derived from the School Census. (5) The number of sessions missed due to unauthorised absence expressed as a percentage of the total number of possible sessions.  Source:  Absence in Schools Survey and School Census(4)

Truancy: Prosecutions

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many parents appeared in court in relation to their children's unauthorised absence from school in  (a) England and  (b) East Sussex in each of the last 10 years.

Vernon Coaker: Information from the Ministry of Justice court proceedings database on the number of parents proceeded against at magistrates courts for offences relating to failing to secure their child's regular school attendance in the Sussex police force area and England, for the years 2001 to 2007 can be viewed in the following table. Prior to 2001 these offences cannot be separately identified.
	
		
			  N umber of defendants proceeded against at magistrates courts for offences relating to 'failing to attend school( 1 ) in Sussex police force area (pfa), and England, 2001 - 07( 2,3) 
			   2001  2002  2003  2004  2005  2006  2007 
			 Sussex (pfa) 13 6 17 10 9 5 13 
			 England 1,961 3,163 3,849 4,442 4,648 5,999 7,745 
			 (1) Includes the following:  (i) Failure to secure regular attendance at school. (Education Act 1996 S.444 (1)(8)).  (ii) Parent knows that their child is failing to attend school regularly and fails without reasonable justification to cause him or her to attend school. (Education Act 1996 S.444(8)(1a)(8a) added by Criminal Justice and Court Services Act 2000 S.72). (2) The statistics relate to persons for whom these offences were the principal offences for which they were dealt with. When a defendant has been found guilty of two or more offences the principal offence is the offence, for which the heaviest penalty is imposed. Where the same disposal is imposed for two or more offences, the offence selected is the offence for which the statutory maximum penalty is the most severe. (3) Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used.  Source:  Justice Statistics Analytical Services - Ministry of Justice. [Ref: IOS 593-09] 
		
	
	Court proceedings data for 2008 are planned for publication on 28 January 2010.
	These data are on the principal offence basis. The figures given in the table on court proceedings relate to persons for whom these offences were the principal offence for which they were dealt with. When a defendant has been found guilty of two or more offences, the offence selected is the one for which the heaviest penalty is imposed. Where the same disposal is imposed for two or more offences, the offence selected is the offence for which the statutory maximum penalty is the most severe.
	These data are a further breakdown of that published in the Criminal Statistics, Supplementary Volumes for England and Wales for the years 2001 to 2007.
	Our commitment as set out in the Children's Plan is to reduce the level of persistent absence so that by 2011 no local authority will have more than five per cent of its secondary pupils as persistent absentees. Although the number of prosecutions in Sussex was the same in 2007 as in 2001, there has been an increase of 5,784 prosecutions in England over the same period, which is nearly four times as many than in 2001. This could be attributed to local authorities making more use of their powers to improve attendance in school. Recent years have seen increased use of parental responsibility measures such as parenting orders and parenting contracts as well as prosecutions.

Youth Justice

Paul Holmes: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many first-time  (a) male and  (b) female entrants into the youth justice system aged (i) 10, (ii) 11, (iii) 12, (iv) 13, (v) 14, (vi) 15, (vii) 16 and (viii) 17 years old there were in each of the last three years.

Vernon Coaker: holding answer 25 January 2010
	The number of young people, broken down by gender and single year of age, receiving their first reprimand, warning or conviction processed by English or Welsh police forces can be found in the following tables:
	
		
			  Number of young people aged 10 to 17 receiving their first reprimand, warning or conviction, processed by English or Welsh police forces, (and percentage of all year total) , by gender and financial year 
			  Male 
			   2006-07  2007-08  2008-09 
			  Age (at time of offence)  Number  Percentage  Number  Percentage  Number  Percentage 
			 10 1,726 1.6 1,579 1.6 1,117 1.4 
			 11 3,595 3.3 3,083 3.1 2,300 2.9 
			 12 6,325 5.7 5,359 5.3 3,976 5 
			 13 9,174 8.3 7,854 7.8 5,722 7.2 
			 14 12,477 11.3 10,771 10.7 8,223 10.4 
			 15 15,037 13.6 13,386 13.4 10,220 12.9 
			 16 14,391 13 13,219 13.2 10,963 13.8 
			 17 12,671 11.5 12,489 12.5 11,024 13.9 
			 Total 75,396 68.4 67,740 67.6 53,545 67.6 
		
	
	
		
			  Female 
			   2006-07  2007-08  2008-09 
			  Age (at time of offence)  Number  Percentage  Number  Percentage  Number  Percentage 
			 10 317 0.3 241 0.2 175 0.2 
			 11 965 0.9 869 0.9 665 0.8 
			 12 2,671 2.4 2,552 2.5 1,825 2.3 
			 13 5,244 4.8 4,836 4.8 3,804 4.8 
			 14 7,745 7 6,917 6.9 5,418 6.8 
			 15 7,770 7 7,270 7.3 5,585 7 
			 16 5,552 5 5,306 5.3 4,236 5.3 
			 17 4,147 3.8 3,937 3.9 3,483 4.4 
			 Total 34,411 31.2 31,928 31.9 25,191 31.8 
		
	
	
		
			  Total 
			   2006-07  2007-08  2008-09 
			  Age (at time of offence)  Number  Percentage  Number  Percentage  Number  Percentage 
			 10 2,064 1.9 1,834 1.8 1,309 1.7 
			 11 4,578 4.2 3,983 4 2,989 3.8 
			 12 9,044 8.2 7,963 7.9 5,854 7.4 
			 13 14,482 13.1 12,759 12.7 9,585 12.1 
			 14 20,302 18.4 17,769 17.7 13,743 17.3 
			 15 22,911 20.8 20,779 20.7 15,909 20.1 
			 16 20,033 18.2 18,628 18.6 15,287 19.3 
			 17 16,872 15.3 16,495 16.5 14,584 18.4 
			 Total 110,286 100 100,210 100 79,260 100 
		
	
	Note that the sum of male and female offenders in the above table may not match the total exactly due to gender not being recorded on a small number of cases. An equivalent breakdown by age for offenders living in England only is not available due to the method used to allocate records where insufficient address data are available.

Youth Custody: Education

David Burrowes: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families pursuant to the answer of 18 January 2010,  Official Report, column 27W, on youth custody, how many hours on average a young person under the age of 18 years spent per day in education, training and personal development in each  (a) secure children's home,  (b) secure training centre and  (c) young offenders institution in the latest period for which figures are available.

Vernon Coaker: The Youth Justice Board reports the number of hours per week that young people spend undertaking education, training and personal development activities across the secure estate. This is a broad category that includes education provision delivered by learning providers commissioned by the Learning and Skills Council, as well as interventions, group work sessions, vocational training, and physical education classes delivered directly by the Prison Service or institution.
	The YJB have introduced a new set of data items to allow them to monitor the secure estate. Data based on a new and more robust set of indicators are presented here for STCs and SCHs for September 2009. Data using the previous indicator are presented for YOIs. This information is presented in the following tables.
	The Learning and Skills Council (LSC) reports that the average number of hours of OLASS funded learning and skills provision (not including personal development activity) delivered per learner per week in the public sector YOIs in the academic year 1 August 2008 to 31 July 2009 was 15.89 hours.
	Data are not broken down to show the number of hours spent on education, training and personal development by young people held on remand but the information from the YJB and the LSC includes young people held on remand.
	The data supplied by the Youth Justice Board are drawn from administrative computer systems. As with any large scale recording system, the data are subject to possible errors with data entry and processing and may be subject to change over time.
	
		
			  September 2009 
			   Average number of hours 
			 Average hours of education, training and personal development activity per week for young people at Public youth offenders institutes (YOIs) 25.6 
			 Average hours of education, training and personal development activity per week for young people at Private youth offenders institutes (YOIs) 21.8 
			 Average hours of education received per young person per week at SCHs 23.5 
			 Average hours of education received per young person per week at STCs 25.8

CABINET OFFICE

Census

Francis Maude: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office with reference to the answer to the hon. Member for Brentwood and Ongar of 17 November 2008,  Official Report, column 236W, on the Census, what the latest estimated cost is of developing the address register being created for the 2011 Census; what use will be made of the register after the 2011 Census; and whether not-for-profit groups will have access to the register.

Angela Smith: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.
	 Letter from Dennis Roberts, dated January 2010:
	The Director General for the Office for National Statistics has been asked to reply to your recent question asking what the latest estimated cost is of developing the address register being created for the 2011 Census; what use will be made of the register after the 2011 Census; and whether not-for-profit groups will have access to the register. I am replying in his absence. (312368)
	The total cost of developing the address register up to and through the Census collection period (mid 2011) is now estimated at £10M. This is a reduction from earlier estimates of £12M as the result of a better focused and more efficient field check. These costs are considered necessary and good value for the Census because no single national product provides a suitable address list for Census. These costs include some licensing and operational costs which would have been incurred even if a single national source had existed.
	The address register being developed is intended and licensed only for use in the 2011 Census. ONS will not destroy the register after Census but licensing and legal issues around ownership of the source address data mean that we are not able to make the address register available for use by other government departments or others. Accordingly, not-for-profit groups, in common with all other parties, will not have access to the register. However, new addresses found through the ONS address check in mid 2010 will be made available to all of the address source suppliers.
	There are currently no plans for further use of the register to support future censuses or other statistical work but options for such work are being considered. If a case can be made for further use of the register then changes and extensions to existing licensing agreements would be required.
	We would like to see the address register (excluding those addresses found during the census field operation, which are deemed confidential under the 1920 Census Act) built upon for further and wider use. Maintenance of the list beyond the 201 1 Census, however, falls outside the resources and the remit of the current project, and of ONS as a whole. Steps are being taken, however, to ensure that processes are repeatable and ONS would support the wider use of the register if this can be managed.

Census: Training

Nick Hurd: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office with reference to paragraph 10.25 of the Census 2001 General report for England and Wales, whether appropriately trained specialist field staff will be employed in the 2011 Census.

Angela Smith: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.
	 Letter from Stephen Penneck, dated February 2010:
	As Director General for the Office for National Statistics (ONS), I have been asked to reply to your recent question asking with reference to paragraph 10.25 of the 2001 Census General report for England and Wales, whether appropriately trained specialist field staff will be employed in the 2011 Census. (314843)
	As in previous censuses there is requirement under the Police and Criminal Evidence Act Code of Practice for Interviews under Caution to be conducted with persons who refuse to comply with their statutory obligation to complete a census return. Such interviews have traditionally been carried out by enumeration field staff but evidence from the evaluation of the 2001 Census showed that it would be more effective to have separate field staff to perform the enforcement procedures.
	For the 2011 Census, staff who are experienced or specially trained in undertaking such interviews will follow up cases where there has been a clear and persistent refusal to make a census return. In this way evidence may be gathered that will be sufficiently robust to satisfy the courts whenever prosecution action is taken. The Treasury Select Committee, in its report on the 2001 Census, was critical of the low number of cases referred for prosecution.
	Prosecution will, however, only be a last resort at the end of a long process of offering opportunity, encouragement and assistance for members of the public to complete questionnaires.

Charities: Educational Institutions

David Evennett: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many educational institutions have been investigated by the Charity Commission in each of the last five years; and what the reason was for each investigation.

Angela Smith: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the Charity Commission. I have asked the Commission to reply.
	 Letter from Andrew Hind, dated 1 February 2010:
	As the Chief Executive of the Charity Commission, I have been asked to respond to your written Parliamentary Question (314760) on the number of educational institutions investigated by the Charity Commission in each of the last five years, and the reasons for these investigations.
	We cannot readily identify those charities which are educational institutions, as the way in which we record our information about investigatory work does not identify types of institutions, only their charitable purposes. As you will appreciate, these are widely varied given the diversity of the charitable sector.
	Charities which list education as part of their purposes make up approximately half the total number of charities on the Register. They include schools, universities and colleges, through to think tanks and educational research institutions as well as community organisations and those that provide adult learning classes.
	We have analysed those charities which were subject to a Statutory Inquiry (investigations opened under Section 8 of the 1993 Charities Act, which deal with cases of significant risk and serious regulatory concern) closed during the years 2005 to the present. The numbers of Statutory Inquiries into charities with educational purposes completed over the past five years were as follows:
	
		
			   Inquiries into charities with educational purposes  Total inquiries 
			 2005-06 40 102 
			 2006-07 20 39 
			 2007-08 19 42 
			 2008-9 8 23 
			 2009-10 8 10 
		
	
	As part of the changes we made in 2006 following a strategic review of the Commission's work, we moved away from the previous practice of treating all investigations as statutory inquiries. Instead, we reserved the opening of statutory inquiries to only those cases of the most serious regulatory concern and that is why the total number of formal inquiries has reduced significantly since 2006.
	In the time available I have not been able to analyse the detail behind all of the inquiries involving charities with educational purposes which we have conducted in the past five years. However, looking at the past two years in greater detail, I can tell you that the 16 inquiries falling into this category related to the following charities with educational purposes:
	
		
			  Year  Name of Charity 
			 2008-09 The Smith Institute (registered charity No. 1062967) 
			 2008-09 Greater Life Foundation and Greater Life Trust Foundation (registered charity numbers 1076688 and 1106280) 
			 2008-09 Manacare Foundation Ltd. (registered charity number 1108701) 
			 2008-09 Al Ikhlas Foundation (registered charity number 1047844) 
			 2008-09 Footballers' Further Education and Vocational Training Society (registered charity number 277501 
			 2008-09 Shiloh Pentecostal Fellowship Trust (registered charity number 507798) 
			 2008-09 Palestinians Relief and Development Fund (Interpal) (registered charity number 1040094) 
			 2008-09 Mama East African Women's Group (registered charity number 1080481) 
			 2009-10 Afro Caribbean Millennium Centre (registered charity number 519691) 
			 2009-10 St Peter's Independent School (registered charity number 281736) 
			 2009-10 Catz Club (registered charity number 1112772) 
			 2009-10 Humanitarian Coalition Aid Foundation (former registered charity number 1095610) 
			 2009-10 The Smiles Foundation (registered charity number 1087961) 
			 2009-10 Tariqa Burhaniya D'Suqiyya Shazuliyya (TBDS) (registered charity number 1041647) 
			 2009-10 The Trust of St Benedict's Abbey, Ealing (registered charity number 242715) This includes the findings of two Statutory Inquires. 
		
	
	Many of these 16 charities may not meet the definition of educational institutions that you had in mind, which I suspect may include only schools, colleges, universities and other centres of learning. I would be happy to undertake further analysis of this category of organisation should you wish me to do so.
	The other type of investigation we conduct is non-statutory, which we call a Regulatory Compliance Case. In these cases the risk is usually more limited and able to be resolved without the need to intervene using our statutory powers.
	The causes for concern involved in our investigations into charities are wide and varied. However, the concerns we most commonly examine include alleged financial mismanagement of the charity; trusteeship issues such as the suitability of trustees; management controls; dominant trustees, or their ineligibility to act; conflicts 'of interest; and/or unauthorised trustee benefits; alleged misappropriation of charity funds; or issues involving fundraising irregularities.
	Broader analysis of the wider issues of concern arising from our investigations can be found in our annual report on the work of our Compliance function, 'Charities Back on Track'. I will arrange for copes of this report for 2007-8 and 2008-9 to be placed in the Library of the House. In addition our Statutory Inquiry reports for the past six months and a number of Regulatory Case reports are available on the Charity Commission website.
	You may be aware that in July 2009 we published public benefit assessments of five charitable fee-charging schools. These were not investigations; they were part of our wider programme to raise awareness of the operation of the public benefit requirement, in line with our statutory objective in this area. They involved gathering information, compiling reports for each individual charity and publishing our emerging findings from the work as a whole in order to provide further guidance for charities about this matter.
	I hope this is a helpful response to your question.

Civil Servants: Leave

Nick Hurd: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many days leave a civil servant had on average in 2008-09; and how many of these were  (a) annual leave,  (b) bank holidays and  (c) privilege days.

Angela Smith: This information is not held centrally by the Cabinet Office. Departments and agencies have authority to determine the terms and conditions relating to hours of work/annual leave of their own staff, subject to the conditions set out in chapter 9 of the Civil Service Management Code.

Civil Servants: Manpower

Francis Maude: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office whether staff in  (a) the Serious Organised Crime Agency are and  (b) the Assets Recovery Agency were included in civil service headcounts.

Angela Smith: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.
	 Letter from Dennis Roberts, dated January 2010:
	The Director General for the Office for National Statistics has been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question concerning whether staff in  (a) the Serious Organised Crime Agency are and  (b) the Assets Recovery Agency were included in civil service headcounts. I am replying in his absence. (312178)
	Staff in the Serious Organised Crime Agency (SOCA) are not included as part of Civil Service headcounts.
	Staff in the Assets Recovery Agency were included in Civil Service headcounts up to April 2008.

Civil Servants: Manpower

Francis Maude: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office in respect of which public bodies staff were included in civil service headcounts in 1996.

Angela Smith: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.
	 Letter from Dennis Roberts, dated January 2010:
	The Director General for the Office for National Statistics has been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question concerning which public bodies' staff were included in civil service headcounts in 1996.1 am replying in his absence. (312179)
	A list of public bodies included in Civil Service headcounts in 1996 is attached at Annex A.
	 Annex A
	 Public bodies included in Civil Service headcounts in 1996
	ADAS
	Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service
	Agriculture, Fisheries and Food
	Army Base Repair Organisation
	Army Base Storage and Distribution Agency
	Army Individual Training Organisation
	Army Technical Support
	Building Research Establishment
	Cabinet Office (including Office of Public Service)
	Cadw-Welsh Historic Monuments
	CCTA
	Central Science Laboratory
	Central Statistical Office
	Central Veterinary Laboratory
	Charity Commission
	Chessington Computer Centre
	Civil Service College
	Coastguard Agency
	Companies House
	Court Service
	Crown Estate Office
	Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal
	Crown Prosecution Service
	Customs and Excise
	Defence Accounts Agency
	Defence Analytical Services Agency
	Defence Animal Centre
	Defence Bills Agency
	Defence Clothing and Textiles
	Defence Dental Agency
	Defence Evaluation and Research Agency
	Defence Postal and Courier Services
	Defence Transport and Movement Executive
	Defence, Ministry of
	Diplomatic Service
	Disposals Sales Agency
	Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency
	Driving Standards Agency
	Duke of York's Royal Military School
	Education and Employment, Department for
	Education, Department for
	Employment Service Agency
	Employment, Department of
	Environment (including Property Holdings)
	Export Credit Guarantee Department
	Fire Service College
	Flag Officer Naval Training/Reserve
	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
	Forensic Science Service
	Friendly Societies, Registry of
	General Register Office-Scotland
	Government Actuary
	Government Property Lawyers
	Health and Safety Commission/Executive
	Health, Department of
	Highways Agency
	Historic Royal Palaces Agency
	Historic Scotland
	HM Prison Service
	HM Stationery Office
	Home Office
	Hydrographic Office
	Information, Central Office of
	Inland Revenue
	Insolvency Service
	Intervention Board
	Laboratory of the Government Chemist
	Land Registry
	Legal Secretariat
	Logistic Information Systems Agency
	Lord Advocate's Department
	Lord Chancellor's Department
	Maintenance Group
	Marine Safety Agency
	Meat Hygiene Service
	Medical Devices Agency
	Medical Supplies Agency
	Medicines Control Agency
	Meteorological Office
	Military Survey
	Ministry of Defence Police
	National Engineering Laboratory
	National Heritage, Department of
	National Investment and Loans Office
	National Physical Laboratory
	National Savings, Department for
	National Statistics, Office for
	National Weights and Measures Laboratory
	Natural Resources Institute
	Naval Aircraft Repair Organisation
	Naval Recruitment and Training Agency
	NHS Estates
	NHS Pensions Agency
	Northern Ireland Office
	Occupational Health and Safety Agency
	Office for Standards in Education
	Office of Electricity Regulation
	Office of Fair Trading
	Office of Gas Supply
	Office of Passenger Rail Franchising
	Office of Telecommunications
	Office of the National Lottery
	Office of the Rail Regulator
	Office of Water Services
	Ordnance Survey
	Overseas Development Administration
	Patent Office
	Pay and Personnel Agency
	Paymaster
	Pesticides Safety Directorate
	Planning inspectorate
	Population Censuses and Surveys, Office of
	Privy Council Office
	Property Advisers to the Civil Estate
	PSA Services
	Public Record Office
	Public Trust Office
	QEII Conference Centre
	Queen Victoria School
	Radiocommunications Agency
	RAF Maintenance Group Defence Agency
	RAF Signals Engineering Establishment
	RAF Training Group Defence Agency
	Recruitment and Assessment Services
	Registers of Scotland
	Royal Mint
	Royal Parks Agency
	Scottish Agricultural Science Agency
	Scottish Courts Service
	Scottish Fisheries Protection Agency
	Scottish Office
	Scottish Office Pensions Agency
	Scottish Prison Service
	Scottish Record Office
	Security and Intelligence Services
	Security Facilities Executive
	Serious Fraud Office
	Service Childrens Education
	Service Childrens Schools North West Europe
	Social Security Benefits Agency
	Social Security Child Support Agency
	Social Security Contributions Agency
	Social Security I.T. Services Agency
	Social Security Resettlement Agency
	Social Security War Pensions Agency
	Social Security, Department of
	Student Awards Agency for Scotland
	Teachers Pension Agency
	The Buying Agency
	Trade and Industry, Department of
	Transport Research Laboratory
	Transport, Department of
	Treasury
	Treasury Solicitor
	UK Passport Agency
	Valuation Office
	Vehicle Certification Agency
	Vehicle Inspectorate
	Veterinary Laboratories Agency
	Veterinary Medicines Directorate
	Welsh Office (incl OHMCIS)
	Wilton Park

Civil Servants: Manpower

Francis Maude: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office whether staff of Ofcom  (a) are included and  (b) were included in 1996 in civil service headcount figures.

Angela Smith: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.
	 Letter from Dennis Roberts, dated January 2010:
	The Director General for the Office for National Statistics has been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question concerning whether staff of Ofcom (a) are included and (b) were included in 1996 in Civil Service headcount figures. I am replying in his absence. (312181)
	Ofcom was established on 29 December 2003 and is classed as a public corporation. Staff of Ofcom have never been included as part of Civil Service headcount estimates.

Departmental Billing

Vincent Cable: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what estimate she has made of the average length of time taken by  (a) her Department and  (b) its agency to pay invoices from (i) small and medium-sized enterprises and (ii) all creditors in the last 12 months.

Angela Smith: The Cabinet Office and its agencies aim to pay all undisputed invoices within the terms of the contract, usually 30 days of receipt of a valid invoice. The Cabinet Office and its agencies are committed to the Prompt Payment Code and aim to pay all correctly rendered invoices within a 10 day payment target. The Department's performance against the 10-day target since November 2008 is shown in the table.
	
		
			   Percentage of invoices paid within 10 days 
			 November 2008 51 
			 December 2008 54 
			 January 2009 56 
			 February 2009 57 
			 March 2009 70 
			 April 2009 94 
			 May 2009 95 
			 June 2009 97 
			 July 2009 89 
			 August 2009 96 
			 September 2009 92 
			 October 2009 96 
			 November 2009 90 
			 December 2009 94

Departmental Housing

Sarah Teather: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many  (a) empty and  (b) occupied residential properties her Department owns; and what recent estimate she has made of the (i) potential annual rental and (ii) total book value of those (A) empty and (B) occupied residential properties.

Angela Smith: The Cabinet Office annual report and accounts contain details of the Cabinet Office estate including its value.

Foreign Investment in UK

Jim Cousins: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what the monetary value of foreign  (a) direct and  (b) indirect investment in the UK expressed in (a) sterling, (b) US dollars and (c) euros was in each of the last five years.

Angela Smith: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.
	 Letter from Stephen Penneck, dated 29 January 2009:
	As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your recent question asking what the monetary value of foreign (a) direct and (b) indirect investment in the UK expressed in (a) sterling, (b) US dollars and (c) euro was in each of the last five years (313251).
	The table attached provides the sterling, US dollars and euro monetary value of (a) foreign direct investment in the UK and (b) all other investment in the UK. Data for all other investment is presented as an alternative as indirect investment is not included in the international definitions of balance of payments statistics. All other investment is additionally broken down into its two constituent sub-categories of portfolio investment and other investment.
	The figures provided record the financial flows into the UK over the last five years and are published in the financial account of the UK's Balance of Payments Statistical Bulletin.
	
		
			  Table 1. Investment in the UK 
			   2004  2005  2006  2007  2008 
			  in £ million  
			 Direct investment 31,208 97,845 84,889 98,150 49,767 
			 All other investment 523,965 618,499 525,195 929,203 -648,781 
			 of which Portfolio investment 97,344 129,049 153,920 203,273 185,824 
			 and Other investment 426,621 489,450 371,275 725,930 -834,605 
			   
			  in $ million  
			 Direct investment 57,364 177,430 154,190 197,747 93,641 
			 All other investment 960,429 1,138,669 952,024 1,846,086 -1,052,146 
			 of which Portfolio investment 178,364 236,934 285,652 406,718 363,547 
			 and Other investment 782,066 901,736 666,372 1,439,368 -1,415,693 
			   
			  in  euro/million  
			 Direct investment 45,795 142,997 124,116 141,964 63,639 
			 All other investment 772,649 902,216 770,174 1,367,451 -765,305 
			 of which Portfolio investment 143,636 188,239 226,232 297,048 237,124 
			 and Other investment 629,013 713,976 543,942 1,070,404 -1,002,429 
			  Notes: 1. A negative figure implies disinvestment. 2. The figures are consistent with the Financial Account, Table J, of the UK's Balance of Payments Statistical Bulletin Q3 2009. 3. The annual figures are compiled by summing the flows of the four quarters. 4. The currency conversion is calculated quarterly by applying the average quarterly exchange rate to the quarterly flows.  Source: ONS

Government Departments: Telephone Services

Francis Maude: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office with reference to the answer to the hon. Member for Reading West of 21 April 2009,  Official Report, column 550W, on Government departments: telephone services, if she will publish the report of the Contact Council's survey.

Tessa Jowell: In 2009, the Contact Council commissioned a survey from BT of the numbers listed in BT Directory Enquiries as belonging to government or public services and the number range they fell into. A summary of the results of this survey will be published on the Cabinet Office website. This survey informed a 'Statement of Clarification' on numbering strategies that was published in May 2009, which can be accessed on the Cabinet Office website, and will help inform the Channel Strategies which Departments will publish later in the year.

Marriage: Statistics

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what changes have been made to the collation and distribution of Government statistics on marriage since 1997.

Angela Smith: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	 Letter from Dennis Roberts, dated January 2010:
	The Director General for the Office for National Statistics has been asked to reply to your request to ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what changes have been made to the collation and distribution of Government statistics on marriage since 1997. I am replying in his absence. (312048)
	The Office for National Statistics (ONS) is responsible for publishing statistics on marriages registered in England and Wales. Marriage statistics for Scotland are published by the General Register Office for Scotland (GROS), and marriage statistics for Northern Ireland are published by the Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency (NISRA). In order to publish marriage statistics for the UK, ONS compiles marriage figures for England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.
	The methods used to collate marriage statistics in England and Wales and in Scotland have remained largely unchanged since 1997. In Northern Ireland there was a small change in 2005, when a new registration system was implemented in the Northern Ireland GRO, giving NISRA a live link to the database rather than receiving quarterly downloads, and extending the range of additional information available from marriage registrations. Further information on the collation of marriage statistics for the UK and constituent countries can be found in the attached Annex.
	Since 1997, marriage statistics for the UK and constituent countries have been distributed annually in a variety of publications. During this period, vital statistics have been made more accessible to users via increasing publication on the web, as opposed to paper-based publications. There have also been minor changes to publication timetables for marriage statistics, reflecting improvements in timeliness or quality of data. The attached Annex provides more detailed information about the dissemination of marriage statistics by ONS, GROS and NISRA.
	 Annex
	 Collation of marriage statistics
	The methods used to collate marriage statistics in England and Wales have remained largely unchanged since 1997. Certified copies of each completed marriage entry appearing in the marriage register are sent to ONS by the General Register Office (GRO). These entries are included in a statistical database to enable the production and analysis of marriage statistics.
	The methods used to collate marriage statistics in Scotland have remained largely unchanged since 1997 and are similar to those in England and Wales. For Northern Ireland however, there has been a slight change. Prior to 2005, NISRA received quarterly downloads from a Northern Ireland GRO database system. In 2005 a new registration system was implemented in GRO and consequently NISRA now have a live link to this database. As a result, NISRA now have access to all data entered at registration rather than just the key variables entered in the old database system. Some of the new data available includes information about the bride and groom's country of birth, nationality and current and future addresses.
	 Distribution of marriage statistics
	The methods used to distribute marriage statistics in the UK have also remained relatively unchanged since 1997. Minor changes to publication timetables for marriage statistics have occurred since 1997, but figures continue to be distributed annually in a variety of publications.
	For England and Wales, a first release of provisional marriage statistics is usually published by ONS between 13 and 16 months after the end of the data year. In 2002, the first release of provisional marriage statistics was published on the ONS website for the first time. Prior to 2002, the first release was a paper publication only and was distributed to interested organisations and individuals. Provisional quarterly marriage figures for the UK and its constituent countries have also been published in the ONS journal Population Trends since 1997.
	Final marriage statistics for England and Wales are laid before parliament pursuant to Section 19 Registration Service Act 1953 in the annual reference volume: Series FM2 (Marriage, divorce and adoption statistics). For every year between 1997 and 2002 (inclusive) the first release of final statistics for England and Wales was in Series FM2. From 2003 however, final marriage statistics were made available on the date of the first release of provisional marriage statistics for the subsequent year, approximately one month before the publication of Series FM2.
	Series FM2 no.27 (Marriage statistics in 1999) was the first ARV to be published on the ONS website in July 2001, a practice that has continued for subsequent volumes. Prior to 2001, paper copies were available from the publishers (The Stationery Office). Paper copies have also been supplied to the Welsh Assembly Government and the Department for Health since 1997. From 2005 onwards, the publication schedule of Series FM2 was changed so that it was published 27 months alter the end of the data year, rather than the previous 18 months. This change was implemented to improve the completeness of the final statistics and to minimise missing data.
	In Scotland, provisional quarterly and annual marriage statistics are published by GROS approximately 10 weeks after the end of the quarter/calendar year. Final figures are published around 7 months after the end of the calendar year. The Registrar General's Annual Report ('Scotland's Population-The Registrar General's Annual Review of Demographic Trends') contains some summary marriage statistics. Until 2000, the printed Annual Report included detailed tables of marriage statistics-these are now published on GROS' website within the annual Vital Events Reference Tables.
	For Northern Ireland, NISRA releases quarterly marriage data three months after the end of that quarter. Provisional figures for the full registration year are released six months after the end of the registration year (when corresponding divorce data for the same period is available from the Northern Ireland Court Service). Finalised data are published in the Annual Report of the Registrar General, which is produced 11 months after the end of the registration year.
	UK marriage statistics have been distributed by ONS in various statistical publications since 1997. These include regular tables in Population Trends and Health Statistics Quarterly (covering the UK and constituent countries), bespoke analysis in volumes such as Social Trends, and secondary analysis in articles for Population Trends. Further information on these publications can be provided on request.
	 Other changes affecting the collation and distribution of marriage statistics
	In addition to the changes listed above, the following events have had some minor administrative impacts upon the collation and distribution of marriage statistics in the UK. However, the administration of statistics on marriage has remained largely unchanged since 1997.
	The Immigration and Asylum Act 1999, which came into effect on 1 January 2001, amended the Marriage Act 1949. It required that notice of marriage had to be given in person by each of the parties to the marriage, where formerly it had been possible for notice of marriage to be given by one person on behalf of both.
	The Marriage (Scotland) Act 2002 allowed civil marriages to be solemnised at locations other than registration offices and authorised local councils to approve locations for marriage. This followed a similar change in England and Wales that was implemented in 1995.
	The Marriage (Northern Ireland) Order 2003 provided a greater choice of marriage venues and types of ceremony available and made the preliminaries to a marriage the same for everyone. The legislation also includes less strict residence requirements for marriage. These allow resident couples to marry in the area of their choice rather than the Local Government District they live in and make it easier for people from outside Northern Ireland to get married within Northern Ireland.
	Measures included in the Asylum and Immigration (Treatment of Claimants etc) Act 2004 were introduced on 1 February 2005 to prevent the possibility of 'sham marriages'. These measures required individuals who are non EEA nationals subject to immigration control to give notice of their marriage at one of 76 designated Register Offices. These restrictions do not apply to marriages by Registrar General's Licence or ecclesiastical preliminaries (banns or licence).
	On 1 April 2008, ONS became a non-ministerial government department. At the same time, GRO was moved out of ONS to the Identity and Passport Service. The Statistics and Registration Service Act 2007 transfers some of the statistical functions of the Registrar General, including the production of an annual abstract, to the UK Statistics Authority and ONS becomes the executive office of the UK Statistics Authority. The 2007 Act also provides the Registrar General with a power to allow him to disclose any information entered in a marriage register or recorded about a civil partnership to the UK Statistics Authority for statistical purposes. It also enables the UK Statistics Authority to produce and publish statistics relating to any matter.
	As has already occurred for birth and death registration, and civil partnerships, a project is underway to implement a web-based Registration ONline (RON) system for marriage registration information to be entered electronically by all register offices across England and Wales. Marriage notices are currently collected on RON and it is planned that in approximately 12 months time, marriage entries will be provided to ONS electronically via the RON system.

Senior Civil Servants: Pay

Francis Maude: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office with reference to the answer of 20 July 2009,  Official Report, column 1035W, on civil servants: pay, what the  (a) name and  (b) job title is of each of the senior civil servants who have a salary greater than £150,000; and who the employer is in each case.

Angela Smith: As set out by my right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer, in his Pre-Budget Report (CM 7747) at paragraph 6.50 the Government have undertaken to publish the salary, including benefits in kind and the level of any bonus, of named individuals paid more than £150,000 to the nearest £5,000 for all public sector bodies, including Government Departments, subject to direct ministerial control.
	The first information to be published on the Civil Service will cover payments during the period from 1 April 2009 to 31 March 2010. This information will be placed in the Library.